“Monica” is a modern, gender-transitioning twist on the theme of the prodigal son. The film’s eponymous protagonist Monica (Trace Lysette, “Transparent”) is an unhappy transgender woman, who has lost contact with her birth family for reasons not explained to us at first. But we can guess.
In opening scenes, Monica tries to to contact a man named Jimmy for whom she expresses love. But we have a sense that the relationship is over. Monica, who has a lavish floral tattoo on her shoulder and neck, can be seen giving a man a massage and giving herself an injection of some sort. She is summoned by phone and drives for two days to return to her family in the Midwest to help with the care of her dying mother Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson), who is also losing her memory. Eugenia does not recognize Monica (Or does she?) as her former son. Monica’s brother Paul (Joshua Close), who is married to the likable Laura (Australian Emily Browning) and has three young children with her, claims that he would not recognize Monica on the street as his former brother. This sort of thing helps transform Monica into some sort of mysterious, gender-switching, Gothic/film noir femme fatale, and it turns the film into a kind of modern-day variation on “Out of the Past.”
Also in the home is her mother’s caregiver Leticia (Adriana Barraza). In an attempt to establish a kinship, Laura shows Monica wedding pictures of Laura wearing Eugenia’s wedding dress at her wedding to Paul. Laura refers to Monica as “Aunt Monica” in front of her kids. She seems to want to welcome Monica into the family. Monica has a pillbox that plays music. It’s some sort of family memento (there’s no payoff to this). On her own in her room, Monica makes videos that suggest she makes money performing for followers who pay to see her in sexy and nude poses.
