gregorymannpress-74762
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"Monica"
"Monica" is a portrait of a woman who returns home to the Midwest for the first time in 20 years to confront the wounds of her past. Reconnecting with her mother Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson) and the rest of her family for the first time since leaving as a teenager, Monica (Trace Lysette) embarks on a path of healing and acceptance. Monica is reunited with her family for the first time since her youth. Uncertain if her mother will recognize her, Monica moves into her childhood home, hoping to heal the wounds of the past and forge a new path of forgiveness and acceptance. Exploring the universal thematic dichotomies of aging and beauty, rejection and alienation, the film details Monica's world and state of mind, the pain and fear, the needs and desires, of a woman whose journey ultimately illuminates the human condition. The film delves into Monica's internal world and state of mind, her pain and fears, her needs and desires, to explore the universal themes of abandonment and forgiveness.
Monica is a film about family, abandonment, and acceptance. It's also a film that centers a Trans-woman character. Monica has been on her own since her mother dropped her off at the bus station as a teenager with only 5 minutes to spare and the message, 'I can't be your mother anymore'. We don't follow Monica during those early teen years, and that time is only hinted at. We meet her as an adult, but one that still carries that wound of early abandonment that we get the first taste of very early in the film when she calls Jimmy (Joshua Close). Jimmy is a man we never see who we only know through her attempts to contact him, but we see and hear the need to try and keep him in her life, to not be left behind by him. Then Monica receives a call she never thought she'd receive, not from Jimmy, but from the sister-in-law she never met, asking her to come back home to help care for her mother, who's losing her memory along with her health. The film never denies how difficult it's for Monica to return to the scene of her trauma but also doesn't deny her the joy of forging new relationships with her niece and nephews.
It also doesn't give an easy resolution to her relationship with her mother, whom she now has to mother, who denied her mothering when she still needed it. Her mother doesn't recognize her right away like she secretly hoped. Though that may have been the only way for them to find a healing place, because Eugenia is not the same woman anymore that abandoned her, and that might be a way that helps Monica heal a bit from the pain of abandonment and finally call out Jimmy. And in the end, Eugenia does accept Monica as family, whether she finally recognized Monica as her daughter is not fully answered, but we think she did, even if it's not voiced. The film does a good job of balancing the moments of joy with moments of sadness. From the topic, you might not expect there would be laughs, but there are plenty during certain scenes in the film particularly at one move during a solo dance scene. There are also moments that just makes us smile while watching. The film ends with a scene of Monica's nephew signing the US National anthem at school graduation. It's a moment of healing and catharsis.
When your mother becomes sick, this confront you with your past and the psychological effects of abandonment. Treading between the interior and exterior, the emotional and physical, Monica explores the complexities of self-worth, the deep-rooted consequences of rejection and the lengths we go to heal our wounds. Through a cinematic language that stems from the juxtaposition of the aesthetics of intimacy and alienation, the film delves into the emotional and psychological landscape of Monica to reflect the precarious nature of self-identity when challenged by the need to survive and ultimately transform. The dialogues are unintelligent, clumsy, and brainless. The ending feels overly rhetorical.
Written by Gregory Mann.
"Monica" is a portrait of a woman who returns home to the Midwest for the first time in 20 years to confront the wounds of her past. Reconnecting with her mother Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson) and the rest of her family for the first time since leaving as a teenager, Monica (Trace Lysette) embarks on a path of healing and acceptance. Monica is reunited with her family for the first time since her youth. Uncertain if her mother will recognize her, Monica moves into her childhood home, hoping to heal the wounds of the past and forge a new path of forgiveness and acceptance. Exploring the universal thematic dichotomies of aging and beauty, rejection and alienation, the film details Monica's world and state of mind, the pain and fear, the needs and desires, of a woman whose journey ultimately illuminates the human condition. The film delves into Monica's internal world and state of mind, her pain and fears, her needs and desires, to explore the universal themes of abandonment and forgiveness.
Monica is a film about family, abandonment, and acceptance. It's also a film that centers a Trans-woman character. Monica has been on her own since her mother dropped her off at the bus station as a teenager with only 5 minutes to spare and the message, 'I can't be your mother anymore'. We don't follow Monica during those early teen years, and that time is only hinted at. We meet her as an adult, but one that still carries that wound of early abandonment that we get the first taste of very early in the film when she calls Jimmy (Joshua Close). Jimmy is a man we never see who we only know through her attempts to contact him, but we see and hear the need to try and keep him in her life, to not be left behind by him. Then Monica receives a call she never thought she'd receive, not from Jimmy, but from the sister-in-law she never met, asking her to come back home to help care for her mother, who's losing her memory along with her health. The film never denies how difficult it's for Monica to return to the scene of her trauma but also doesn't deny her the joy of forging new relationships with her niece and nephews.
It also doesn't give an easy resolution to her relationship with her mother, whom she now has to mother, who denied her mothering when she still needed it. Her mother doesn't recognize her right away like she secretly hoped. Though that may have been the only way for them to find a healing place, because Eugenia is not the same woman anymore that abandoned her, and that might be a way that helps Monica heal a bit from the pain of abandonment and finally call out Jimmy. And in the end, Eugenia does accept Monica as family, whether she finally recognized Monica as her daughter is not fully answered, but we think she did, even if it's not voiced. The film does a good job of balancing the moments of joy with moments of sadness. From the topic, you might not expect there would be laughs, but there are plenty during certain scenes in the film particularly at one move during a solo dance scene. There are also moments that just makes us smile while watching. The film ends with a scene of Monica's nephew signing the US National anthem at school graduation. It's a moment of healing and catharsis.
When your mother becomes sick, this confront you with your past and the psychological effects of abandonment. Treading between the interior and exterior, the emotional and physical, Monica explores the complexities of self-worth, the deep-rooted consequences of rejection and the lengths we go to heal our wounds. Through a cinematic language that stems from the juxtaposition of the aesthetics of intimacy and alienation, the film delves into the emotional and psychological landscape of Monica to reflect the precarious nature of self-identity when challenged by the need to survive and ultimately transform. The dialogues are unintelligent, clumsy, and brainless. The ending feels overly rhetorical.
Written by Gregory Mann.
After years of living with mysterious symptoms, a young girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with a disease said to not exist, Chronic Lyme disease. "The Quiet Epidemic" follows their search for answers, which lands them in the middle of a vicious medical debate. What begins as a patient story evolves into an investigation into the history of Lyme disease, dating back to it's discovery in 1975. A paper trail of suppressed scientific research, and buried documents reveals why ticks, and the diseases they carry, have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe.
Unable to walk due to Lyme disease, 12-year-old Julia Bruzzese is blessed by Pope Francis on live television, thrusting both her and Lyme into the public eye. This attracts the attention of public health officials who warn Julia's father, Enrico, against pursuing treatment for Lyme disease. Aware of the Lyme disease controversy, they ignore the warnings and venture into the fringes of medicine. Five years into treatment and still sick, Julia and her family begin advocating for others. Neil Spector, a Duke University cancer researcher, receives a heart transplant due to Lyme. He realizes Lyme testing and treatment has been at a standstill for decades and shifts his focus to tick-borne disease. Neil's lab makes a discovery that may revolutionize the field, and he falls ill with a virus. Due to his weakened immune system, Neil passes away at the age of 63. Julia is not fully cured under Neil Spencer's care, her quality of life significantly improves.
We've come to know Lyme as a deeply complex illness that has yet to be fully understood. According to the CDC, an estimated 500,000 people are infected with Lyme each year, and 10-20% of them remain sick after antibiotic treatment. Even still, Lyme is often dismissed by the medical establishment. We hope our film can be the catalyst needed to awaken the public to this threat and re-engage the medical and scientific communities on finding answers for a disease that is as close as our own backyard. Lyme + Long-COVID, the mystery of Chronic Lyme mirrors the issues we're facing with long-COVID. Many of the same questions exist. Is long COVID due to a lingering virus, or is it an auto-immune issue caused by damage, long after the virus is gone? In the case of COVID, patients with long haul symptoms are being taken seriously, a privilege never granted to those with Lyme.
They insist Lyme is not chronic and downplay the severity of in utero transmission. A growing body of scientific research challenges their claims, and their technologies. The goal is to elevate this evidence and new science. Those at risk deserve to know, Lyme is far more complex than we know. We believe profit-motives have stunted our understanding of chronic illness, making it incredibly difficult for doctors like him to practice medicine with proper support from insurance companies and medical boards.
Written by Gregory Mann.
Unable to walk due to Lyme disease, 12-year-old Julia Bruzzese is blessed by Pope Francis on live television, thrusting both her and Lyme into the public eye. This attracts the attention of public health officials who warn Julia's father, Enrico, against pursuing treatment for Lyme disease. Aware of the Lyme disease controversy, they ignore the warnings and venture into the fringes of medicine. Five years into treatment and still sick, Julia and her family begin advocating for others. Neil Spector, a Duke University cancer researcher, receives a heart transplant due to Lyme. He realizes Lyme testing and treatment has been at a standstill for decades and shifts his focus to tick-borne disease. Neil's lab makes a discovery that may revolutionize the field, and he falls ill with a virus. Due to his weakened immune system, Neil passes away at the age of 63. Julia is not fully cured under Neil Spencer's care, her quality of life significantly improves.
We've come to know Lyme as a deeply complex illness that has yet to be fully understood. According to the CDC, an estimated 500,000 people are infected with Lyme each year, and 10-20% of them remain sick after antibiotic treatment. Even still, Lyme is often dismissed by the medical establishment. We hope our film can be the catalyst needed to awaken the public to this threat and re-engage the medical and scientific communities on finding answers for a disease that is as close as our own backyard. Lyme + Long-COVID, the mystery of Chronic Lyme mirrors the issues we're facing with long-COVID. Many of the same questions exist. Is long COVID due to a lingering virus, or is it an auto-immune issue caused by damage, long after the virus is gone? In the case of COVID, patients with long haul symptoms are being taken seriously, a privilege never granted to those with Lyme.
They insist Lyme is not chronic and downplay the severity of in utero transmission. A growing body of scientific research challenges their claims, and their technologies. The goal is to elevate this evidence and new science. Those at risk deserve to know, Lyme is far more complex than we know. We believe profit-motives have stunted our understanding of chronic illness, making it incredibly difficult for doctors like him to practice medicine with proper support from insurance companies and medical boards.
Written by Gregory Mann.
This movie is about a mother named Yuriko (Masaka Suda), who slowly loses her memories, and her only son, Izumi (Masaka Suda) and his own memories. The film aims to illustrate the nature of human memories, what it means to be a parent, and the present-day issue of dementia through the two characters' falling out and eventual reconciliation. The memories of the mother suffering from Alzheimer's disease and her son's memories will be illustrated in alternation. Say, for example, you're in a car accident and your body is okay but you lost your memories. Can you still consider yourself the same person? Probably not. On the other hand, if your entire body is replaced with machines but your memories were left intact, perhaps you're still the same person. Humans are defined not by their bodies but by their memories. Even trivial memories are part of a complex system rooted in a person's identity.
What's missing from each of their memories are the perspectives and emotions of the other. It's because memories are by their nature, in first-person, that we doubt and hold grudges against one another. But this can also serve as the force that draws people together so that they may belong and love one another. In the finale, this film will illustrate the moment when two people unable to share their memories and perspectives come together through a miraculous event. As a rule of thumb, this film uses one cut per scene. Just as we don't get to cut.our life experiences like a movie, time keeps flowing without compromise. However, it's also true that we experience fragmented flashbacks during our daily lives prompted by unassuming events.
They often occur spontaneously and without context as they interfere with our lived reality: like remembering a rough breakup while taking a train; or about a fight you had with a friend when your small during an important meeting; or about something you saw in the news the day before, during supper. When you think about it, we live each day influenced by these arbitrary and incomplete pieces of memories. The film will convey this type of brain activity through camera work, editing and sound. In a single scene, reality and flashbacks will intertwine as they progress in parallel. The series of flashbacks that are suddenly inserted throughout the film will foreshadow certain events and all be retrieved in the climax of the final.
Written by Gregory Mann.
What's missing from each of their memories are the perspectives and emotions of the other. It's because memories are by their nature, in first-person, that we doubt and hold grudges against one another. But this can also serve as the force that draws people together so that they may belong and love one another. In the finale, this film will illustrate the moment when two people unable to share their memories and perspectives come together through a miraculous event. As a rule of thumb, this film uses one cut per scene. Just as we don't get to cut.our life experiences like a movie, time keeps flowing without compromise. However, it's also true that we experience fragmented flashbacks during our daily lives prompted by unassuming events.
They often occur spontaneously and without context as they interfere with our lived reality: like remembering a rough breakup while taking a train; or about a fight you had with a friend when your small during an important meeting; or about something you saw in the news the day before, during supper. When you think about it, we live each day influenced by these arbitrary and incomplete pieces of memories. The film will convey this type of brain activity through camera work, editing and sound. In a single scene, reality and flashbacks will intertwine as they progress in parallel. The series of flashbacks that are suddenly inserted throughout the film will foreshadow certain events and all be retrieved in the climax of the final.
Written by Gregory Mann.