Monica

June is Pride month, and to celebrate, the CineSkinny Film Club has teamed up with the brilliant streaming service MUBI for a screening of the fantastic queer drama Monica.

This new film from talented Italian director Andrea Pallaoro centres on a transgender woman – the eponymous Monica – who’s been living in LA for over a decade after being thrown out of her Midwestern home by her transphobic mother, Eugenia. When Monica hears news that Eugenia is dying from a brain tumour, she makes a reluctant return home to say goodbye, only to find that her mother doesn’t recognise her, assuming instead that she’s her new caregiver. ​​

From this setup emerges an unsentimental study of personal healing through human connection. Patricia Clarkson gives a deeply moving performance as Eugenia while transgender actress Trace Lysette is a revelation as Monica. The film is also distinguished by Pallaoro’s inventive shooting style, which uses a boxy 4:3 ratio and expressionistic close-ups to immerse us in Monica’s world.

Join us to see this moving new slice of queer cinema on the big screen for free.