May 19, 2023
FILM: MONICA
STARRING: TRACE LYSETTE, PATRICIA CLARKSON, EMILY BROWNING
DIRECTED BY ANDREA PALLAORO
RATING: 3 stars out of 4
By Dan Pal
Monica is a film that takes its time unpeeling its central conceit. We are initially introduced to the title character while she is in California and she receives a call. This takes her on a journey to Ohio where she, her brother, and a caretaker tend to their dying mother Eugenia, played by Patricia Clarkson. The last time the actress played a similarly ill character she received an Oscar nomination (for 2003’s Pieces of April.) While that film was filled with humor, a cast of broadly funny performances from actors such as Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, and Sean Hayes, and was set during Thanksgiving, this time the circumstances are much more somber but no less rich and no less emphasizing the power of a family.
Monica is played by Trace Lysette who is previously known for work in the film Hustlers as well as the television series Transparent and Pose. She is strikingly beautiful and the camera just showers her with love. Sometimes too much. At an hour and 46 minutes, the film is about ten minutes too long. There are so many lingering shots on Monica that, while registering some deep seated emotional issues, could be cut down a bit without losing their effectiveness. For this is a film about coming to terms with one’s family without a lot of verbal or explosive expressions. Rather the subtle performances and pace suggest much of what’s necessary to be known: Monica needed a new life and left home when she was much younger. This left a chasm in the family’s relationships.
The cinematography suggests the boxed in feeling Monica has when being forced to face her past. The standard 4:3 aspect ratio leaves little room for any larger setting specific details but the internal struggles and histories of the characters are at the forefront. Italian Writer/Director Andrea Pallaoro also uses frequent mirrored reflections of Monica as she is having to face who she was and is.
All of that said, the script could have used a bit more detailed subtext. At one point, Eugenia stresses the importance of family. “Family comes first,” she says. We can only wonder whether this should be taken ironically given that Monica was estranged from her family for so long. There is a fairly comfortable bond between Monica and her brother Paul but she is only meeting his wife and children for the first time.
Mothers and the love of their offspring is a motif throughout the film. Not only does Paul’s wife have children (one of which may be transgender) that are important to the family unit but they also have a dog with multiple puppies. They’ll “have to find new homes” suggesting that in some cases, one is often cast aside from one’s birth parents – perhaps like Monica herself.
Ultimately, this is a film about families, responsibilities, and the strained relationships that are often present. Sometimes words are not needed to be spoken but the underlying fractures still exist and may often be healed with some slight understanding and care.
Monica opens today at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: MONICA
STARRING: TRACE LYSETTE, PATRICIA CLARKSON, EMILY BROWNING
DIRECTED BY ANDREA PALLAORO
RATING: 3 stars out of 4
By Dan Pal
Monica is a film that takes its time unpeeling its central conceit. We are initially introduced to the title character while she is in California and she receives a call. This takes her on a journey to Ohio where she, her brother, and a caretaker tend to their dying mother Eugenia, played by Patricia Clarkson. The last time the actress played a similarly ill character she received an Oscar nomination (for 2003’s Pieces of April.) While that film was filled with humor, a cast of broadly funny performances from actors such as Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, and Sean Hayes, and was set during Thanksgiving, this time the circumstances are much more somber but no less rich and no less emphasizing the power of a family.
Monica is played by Trace Lysette who is previously known for work in the film Hustlers as well as the television series Transparent and Pose. She is strikingly beautiful and the camera just showers her with love. Sometimes too much. At an hour and 46 minutes, the film is about ten minutes too long. There are so many lingering shots on Monica that, while registering some deep seated emotional issues, could be cut down a bit without losing their effectiveness. For this is a film about coming to terms with one’s family without a lot of verbal or explosive expressions. Rather the subtle performances and pace suggest much of what’s necessary to be known: Monica needed a new life and left home when she was much younger. This left a chasm in the family’s relationships.
The cinematography suggests the boxed in feeling Monica has when being forced to face her past. The standard 4:3 aspect ratio leaves little room for any larger setting specific details but the internal struggles and histories of the characters are at the forefront. Italian Writer/Director Andrea Pallaoro also uses frequent mirrored reflections of Monica as she is having to face who she was and is.
All of that said, the script could have used a bit more detailed subtext. At one point, Eugenia stresses the importance of family. “Family comes first,” she says. We can only wonder whether this should be taken ironically given that Monica was estranged from her family for so long. There is a fairly comfortable bond between Monica and her brother Paul but she is only meeting his wife and children for the first time.
Mothers and the love of their offspring is a motif throughout the film. Not only does Paul’s wife have children (one of which may be transgender) that are important to the family unit but they also have a dog with multiple puppies. They’ll “have to find new homes” suggesting that in some cases, one is often cast aside from one’s birth parents – perhaps like Monica herself.
Ultimately, this is a film about families, responsibilities, and the strained relationships that are often present. Sometimes words are not needed to be spoken but the underlying fractures still exist and may often be healed with some slight understanding and care.
Monica opens today at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.