Directing: B+
Acting: A-
Writing: B+
Cinematography: B+
Editing: B

Monica takes subtlety and understatement to new levels. There’s never a moment that explicitly states that the title character, who is returning home after many years to look after her estranged, ailing mother, is a trans woman. She’s played, however, by trans actor Trace Lysette, previously seen as a regular supporting character on the rightfully acclaimed Prime Video series Transparent. A lot of times it’s said—a lot of times by me—that going in cold would enhance a movie watching experience, but I would argue that, in the case of Monica, these are details that are helpful to know going in.

Monica’s mother, Eugenia, is played by Patricia Clarkson, a reliably welcome screen presence. Here, at the age of 63, she plays a woman deteriorating from a tumor. We learn that she doesn’t recognize Monica, who has come at the invitation (or maybe pleading) of a sister-in-law she’s evidently never known, as the family needs help. Eugenia’s first assumption is that Monica comes from the hospice care she insists she doesn’t want.

Again, something Monica never makes explicitly clear is when Eugenia figures out who Monica really is. There’s no dramatic apology, no speech. There is a bit of a speechless, tearful breakdown, which perhaps stands in for an apology. Over time, Monica and Eugenia inch toward an emotional connection.

It really must be noted: “time” and “inch” are key words here. As directed and co-written by Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro, and particularly as edited by Paola Freddi, Monica moves at a truly glacial pace. This element alone is likely to turn off a lot of viewers, even as it moves critics—including me. Monica is quality work, but hardly populist. It is far more artful than it is entertaining. It has a strangely unusual aspect ratio, nearly square in shape, with very long shots that stop short of being mundane.

That said, I found this film to be deeply memorable and affecting. The acting is excellent, and it’s wonderful to see a trans actor so well cast in the leading role of a trans character. Trace Lysette is more than up to the task, and I’d love to see her cast in more roles that are more widely seen. She’s one worth looking out for.

This is rarely an effective selling point, but by the end of Monica, it felt well worth the quiet, meditative experience. It’s not a slog; it’s just slow. And in this case, the editing is deliberate, almost pointed. You live in Monica’s world with her, experience highs and lows, none of them borne of the kind of trauma that history has taught viewers to expect. One might suspect that was the intent. This is the kind of skilled subtlety that offers you some space, a kind of distance in which the effects seep into you. It’s a uniquely impressive achievement.

Overall: B+