When Trace Lysette got to Venice for the premiere of the Andrea Pallaoro-directed drama Monica, she learned that she becomes the first Trans actress to headline a competition film here. Lysette pla…
, she learned that she becomes the first Trans actress to headline a competition film here. Lysette plays the title character, a Trans woman who comes home to care for the mother who rejected her years ago, The young woman has a lot of personal issues she is working through, but among the most frustrating is that the mental faculties of her mother are failing along with her health. She doesn’t recognize her child, and Monica tries her best to build a bond as her caretaker.
DEADLINE: The film is grounded by universal elements, the desire to be loved by your family, and to belong. Monica could have been any child who returns to care for an estranged dying mother who rejected her, and whose health and memory are eroding. The moments between mother and daughter are touching. What was the challenge to work up a rapport with Patricia Clarkson?: It was a beautiful gift, working with Patricia. We felt this familial bond right away.
DEADLINE: There’s a moment where Monica tells her brother that their mother dropped her at the bus station, told her I can’t be your mother anymore, and cut off discussion about it. Were these elements pure fiction, or based on a collection of people who’ve endured that pain?: That struggle with our biological families is unfortunately too typical in the Trans community. I weep for my Trans siblings who have to go through that.
DEADLINE: The ending is quite touching, and there is closure and the feeling that a family has been restored. I thought, if you were an actress in any movie, you need not be defined by gender if you chose not to be. But after being an outspoken advocate for the Trans community, you may well have an opportunity with this film to be a role model for young people going through what you went through in your life and finding it so hard to feel comfortable in their own skin.
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