PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST REVIEW! It’s that time when we hit our pre-teens when our childhood monster becomes bored and moves on. But do they really move on? Where do they go? This and many other questions are answered in Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster.
Laura (Kimiko Glenn) has just broken up with her boyfriend (Scott Michael Foster). She’s sick and needs the comfortable surroundings of home. In her time of need, her mother just flew off to Maui, and her friends have excuses not to be around. One night Laura wakes up and catches her childhood monster (Tommy Dewey) living in her closet.
“…Laura wakes up and catches her childhood monster living in her closet.”
The best part of Your Monster is Tommy Dewey’s portrayal of the titular…monster. It’s not just the performance either, but it’s Lindy’s script and development of that character. As the monster, he is not socially there, but he knows why he exists and unbeknownst to him, he makes a sort of sweet connection with Laura. I want to go further, but now I’m in spoiler territory.
Let me also add the dynamic between Laura and the monster as a highlight. Kimiko Glenn plays her as a small, timid person, who finds her inner strength (sort of). It’s the admiration at the end between the two leads plays out perfectly. While Your Monster is listed as a comedy, but it’s much more subversive than that. It’s funny, but the short leans into the reality of the relationship.
Your Monster screened at the 2020 Palm Springs Shortfest.
"…best part…is Tommy Dewey’s portrayal of the titular…monster."
