Monica

R

Released May 12, 2023

1h 54m

Drama

TRAILER

for Monica: Trailer 1

List

84%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Monica is an intimate portrait of a woman who, for the first time in 20 years, returns home to the Midwest to take care of her ailing mother. Through the themes of abandonment, aging, rejection, acceptance and forgiveness, we get to know Monica and her world made of pain, fear but also courage. A journey through the needs and desires of a woman who opens a cognitive look at the human condition.

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Critics Consensus

Bolstered by a powerful lead performance from Trace Lysette, Monica follows a personal quest that's as beautifully filmed as it is emotionally resonant.

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Jonathan Romney

Financial Times

Monica is beautifully acted, not least in the play-off between Clarkson — alternating weary spikiness with bursts of agonised distress — and the gentle, detached reserve that is Lysette’s main register here.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 18, 2023

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

A film of quiet but considerable power.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 17, 2023

Full Review

Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Lysette’s committed, complex performance, in tandem with Clarkson, powers a restrained tale of reunion and resistance with a gender identity twist.

Rated: 4/5

May 19, 2023

Full Review

Connor Lightbody

Loud and Clear Reviews

a [Trace] Lysette performance that we should be considering as one of the greatest performances put to film in recent years

Rated: 5/5

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

It may not be the snappiest film in the world, but what it lacks in haste it makes up for in characterisation. Though we spend a good portion watching the family simply function by itself, Lysette has anchored this film with a giant beating heart.

Rated: 4/5

May 30, 2024

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

Such emphasis on the unspoken makes Monica a welcome reprieve from the type of standard-issue dramas that might bake in showy confrontations and cathartic exhalations.

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

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Mariya Makhlyagina

It's heartbreaking and honest.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

Jeffrey S

Great story told about an important topic. Definitely a low budget film though. Amazing performance Trace Lysette.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

Nick

A well acted, filmed story of interpersonal conflict reconciled in the last weeks of life.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

Nora

Beautiful movie. Trace is a brilliant actress and a beautiful soul. Many emotional moments.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/20/23

Full Review

Dante R

Incredibly poignant, layered, powerful performance from Trace Lysette, highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/19/23

Full Review

Kyle M

Trace Lysette provides a genuinely resonating performance through presented humane delicacy but let down by directional uncertainty as the utter patience turned unsatisfactory over uneventfully lacked confrontational stirs. (C+)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/27/24

Full Review

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Andrea Pallaoro

Director

Trace Lysette

Monica

Patricia Clarkson

Eugenia

Adriana Barraza

Leticia

Emily Browning

Laura

Joshua Close

Paul

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Monica: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Monica is an intimate portrait of a woman who, for the first time in 20 years, returns home to the Midwest to take care of her ailing mother. Through the themes of abandonment, aging, rejection, acceptance and forgiveness, we get to know Monica and her world made of pain, fear but also courage. A journey through the needs and desires of a woman who opens a cognitive look at the human condition.

Director: Andrea Pallaoro
Producer: Gina Resnick, Christina Dow, Eleonora Granata-Jenkinson, Andrea Pallaoro
Screenwriter: Andrea Pallaoro, Orlando Tirado
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Alacran Pictures, Propaganda Italia, Varient, Melograno Films, Solo Five Productions, Fenix Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 12, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $151.5K
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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