Trace Lysette’s ‘Monica’ is a reminder that trans experience is so much more than a teachable moment
gaytimes.co.ukThis story of a trans woman returning home to care for her ailing mother is a claustrophobic, emotionally intense look at family and closure.
WORDS BY MEGAN WALLACE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MUBI MUBI is a streaming service where you can find great, hand-picked films from across the world.
In the ongoing series Through the Lens, we’ll be engaging with cinematic representation and queer interpretation via the films streaming on MUBI. Watch great, hand-picked queer cinema on MUBI with an exclusive Gay Times reader offer – 2 months of streaming for free. In the history of cinema, trans and trans-coded characters have been painted as villains and deviants or, even worse, as the butt of the joke.
In recent years, thanks to welcome shifts in attitude from some audiences, there has been an uptick in positive representation – with films like the stirring, character-driven Monica paving the way for more authentic, honest depictions of trans lives.