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The Cineskinny Film Club with MUBI

Promotional photo for the film MONICA. A woman in blue light, against a teal backdrop.

June is Pride month, and to celebrate, the CineSkinny Film Club teamed up with the brilliant streaming service and film distributor MUBI for a pair of screenings of the fantastic queer drama Monica. Our next screenings will be announced shortly – keep an eye on our socials and newsletter for the details.

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. Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called Monica “a tremendously crafted, impeccably intelligent film,” while over at RogerEbert.com, Peter Sobczynski described it as “a quiet, heartfelt, and beautifully nuanced drama that feels unique and universal”. Join us to see this moving new slice of queer cinema on the big screen.

Watch Monica on MUBI and enjoy 30 days of hand-picked cinema – go to mubi.com/theskinny

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