Venice Review: Trace Lysette In Andrea Pallaoro’s ‘Monica’
deadline.comTransparent’s Trace Lysette stars in the Venice Competition title Monica, directed and co-written by Andrea Pallaoro, who returns to the Lido after his films Medeas and Hannah.
Set in the U.S., Monica stars Lysette as the titular character, a trans woman who is summoned home to help care for her dying mother, Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson).
The casting gives a strong clue to Monica’s birth gender, but the subject is rarely addressed head-on; rather lurking in the background, occasionally alluded to with pointed stories about kids and fall-outs.
Eugenia appears not to recognize Monica, mistaking her for hired help, but as the bond between them increases, both the audience and Monica begin to wonder how much she really knows about the new arrival in the home.It’s a tender portrait of familial reconnection in difficult circumstances, with terrific performances.
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