Monica
IFC Films | Release Date: May 12, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiMay 11, 2023
A quiet, heartfelt, and beautifully nuanced drama that feels unique and universal, featuring what will surely go down as one of the best performances of 2023. Read full review
90
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeMay 11, 2023
Both Lysette and Clarkson are naturally magnetic actors, and they don’t waste the attention they’re given on excess sentimentality. Read full review
83
IndieWireJude DrySep 16, 2022
Spare but poignant, "Monica" is a pensive family drama that’s loaded with the empty space of things left unsaid. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeDec 17, 2023
The result is a film of quiet but considerable power. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 12, 2023
This is a tremendously crafted, impeccably intelligent film. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesTracy BrownMay 15, 2023
What is particularly powerful is that the film does not feel the need to overexplain Monica. The film offers glimpses into her life, her relationships and her livelihood, but Monica doesn’t have to spell out the details of her past or justify her present to anyone. Read full review
75
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMay 15, 2023
As character studies go, Monica is an especially timely one, determined to contribute to the current conversation about acceptance and understanding. At the same time, beneath it all lies a more universal concept. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineWes GreeneMay 7, 2023
Monica is an unsentimental exploration of its main character’s search for personal fulfillment through human connection. Read full review
75
The PlaylistMarshall ShafferSep 16, 2022
At its best, Pallaoro’s quiet film wields the paradoxical power of cinema to create pure illusion. Read full review
70
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganSep 16, 2022
A quietly thoughtful and impressively acted drama. Read full review
70
TheWrapDan CallahanSep 16, 2022
The chief virtue of “Monica” is its restraint and its patience. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 16, 2022
Conceived with uncommon sensitivity toward the interior lives of its characters, as well as to the shifting codes of trans representation, “Monica” is a film about making amends. Read full review
63
Washington PostMark JenkinsMay 16, 2023
Monica is moody, slow-moving and stronger on style than characterization, yet Lysette and Clarkson endow it with feeling. This is a broken-family drama that culminates not with shouted recriminations or smashed crockery, but with baths, massages and gentle kisses. Read full review
60
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannMay 12, 2023
The narrative of Monica is scant, but this makes way for a poignant examination of trans identity and loneliness through the lens of one family. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschSep 16, 2022
A sluggish exercise in formalism ... [Monica] feels like a movie perpetually struggling to connect. Read full review
More From This Movie

75 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL