Opening with the statement ‘based on a true-ish story,’ Your Monster is drawn from the personal experiences of its Director Caroline Lindy. The film, which also marks the feature directorial debut of Lindy, was originally a short film of the same name.
In theaters on October 25th, 2024 through Vertical, the film follows aspiring young actor Laura (Melissa Barrera: Scream VI 2023, Abigail 2024). Unfortunately, Laura’s life has recently gone off the rails. Having just been diagnosed with cancer, not only are her dreams of making it on Broadway on hold, but her long-term boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donavan: Akron 2015, Civil War 2024) has also decided to break up with her. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Laura then discovers that there is a monster living in her closet.
Soon Laura realizes that the monster in the closet is the same monster who lived under the bed in her childhood and he is less scary and more annoying. When her ex-boyfriend, who is also an up-and-coming Broadway director, starts casting for the musical that she helped him develop, Monster (Tommy Dewey: 17 Again 2009, Saturday Night 2024) encourages Laura to audition. But with her health issues, relationship stresses and Monster in her life, there are only so many things Laura can cope with before it all becomes too much.
At its heart, Your Monster is a tale of female empowerment. Laura goes about her life with a grudging kind of acceptance. She wants more from her career, from her partner, from her health provider, etc. Yet Laura finds herself unable to express those needs and wants. Women are often balancing on a precipice feeling that they cannot be too much – too outspoken, too sexy, too demanding and so the result is that all these emotions become pent up. In this case, Laura is encouraged to feel all these emotions and speak up by Monster. As he becomes a positive force in Laura’s life, rather than the beast in the closet, their relationship blossoms.
The film is set in the world of musical theatre and so that adds another interesting element for how women are treated in certain ways, especially compared to men. Sometimes a director’s personal experience can mean that a film feels too personal and thus hard to relate to, yet here it is certainly a strength, and Your Monster feels extremely relatable and sympathetic.
The performances here are great. Many audiences will be more used to seeing Barrera in horror and so, even though there are some Horror elements, it is nice to see her take on a different kind of role. Dewey and Donavan are also great as the two males in Laura’s life, with one being pompous and arrogant and the other surprisingly layered.
Overall this is a fantastic debut from Lindy. Your Monster encompasses several genres – ranging from Comedy and Romance to Horror – but does so really well. This is a film that will have many audiences nodding along enthusiastically, completely relating to what is going on. Female rage has rarely been so well portrayed on screen. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Your Monster 4 out of 5 stars.
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