“It’s so easy to understand an idea and it’s way harder to put it into practice, right? To give yourself permission to love every part of the very complicated person that you are. To embrace the flaws and the weakness and from that vulnerability, in a way, birth the fully powerful self that you can be, that has a voice and knows how to use it. I learned a lot about myself making this movie.”

Perhaps one of the most classic childhood nightmares — finding a monster in your closet — is given a hilarious, heartwarming, and profound twist in Caroline Lindy’s debut feature film, Your Monster. Based on the writer-director’s 2019 short, the story stars Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco, a soft-spoken aspiring actress who returns to her childhood home after a cancer diagnosis and abrupt breakup to find an unexpected roommate living rent free in her closet. As she navigates this new stage of life, which includes playing a supporting role in her ex’s musical, Laura forms a connection with the charming, encouraging, sexy, and at times terrifying Monster (Tommy Dewey) who helps her stand up for herself, realise her potential, and fall in love with her inner rage.

“Like Laura, I learned that I’m so much more powerful and capable than I give myself credit for. I think that’s true for a lot of people out there,” Barrera continues. “I hope this movie makes a lot of people feel seen and lights a fire in a lot of you out in the world.”

Further starring Edmund Donovan, Meghann Fahy, and producer Kayla Foster, Your Monster premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival before travelling to audiences around the world. Now, you can watch it on streaming services AppleTV and Prime Video in the UK.

Read the interview…

Hey Melissa! How are you doing?
Hey, good thanks!

Congratulations on Your Monster! When did you first hear about the project and how did you come to work on it?
Thanks so much! I got a phone call from a dear friend of mine who happens to also be a friend of Caroline’s, the writer/director. He told me that Caroline wanted me for her movie and that I was going to receive the script soon, and I should check out her shorts because she’s super talented. It’s always a green flag when someone you love speaks highly of a potential collaborator – to me working with good people is paramount – and him putting in a good word for her made me excited to read. As soon as I hung up the phone with him, I had the script in my inbox, read it, LOVED it, and then went on a deep-dive of watching every one of her short films, which I thought were amazing and so unique. We then met in person to chat and I fell in love with her and the rest is history.

Tell us a bit about your character! What drew you to Laura and were there any parts of yourself that you found in her?
Laura is, even though we are both musical theatre girls, the character that is the least like me that I’ve ever played. I think that was the challenge that both excited and terrified me about taking ono this role. I was drawn to her vulnerability, the fact that she wears her emotions on her sleeve and obviously, I was drawn to the comedy of it all. I hadn’t done comedy since I was doing theatre in Mexico so I was itching to jump back in. I knew that I hadn’t utilised those muscles for too long so I was feeling insecure about it. I think I definitely found that part of me again thanks to this movie. I also found that part of Melissa that sometimes feels tiny and insignificant in this world; I embraced that fear that I am so good at compartmentalising because it’s so important to acknowledge all of your feelings and to feel your way through them, no matter how messy it gets. That was the most valuable lesson I got from Laura. There’s beauty in all of it and then, of course, embracing the wonderful power that is female rage.

It was a pretty women-led project, if I’m correct, and it really does feel like the kind of story that only women can tell. What can you tell us about the dynamic on set and how that lent itself to the film? Did it differ from other projects you’ve worked on?
Women in Film!! This is a VERY female-led project and very intentionally so. It felt very safe. I felt taken care of in every sense and because this IS a story of female rage, I think it just made sense to have female producers who get it, who understand the story we’re telling at a cellular level and who’ve experienced first-hand the societal censoring of female rage, professionally and personally. It did feel different from other projects not just because of how lovely the energy felt, despite the tight 20-day shoot, long hours and stress of making a tiny indie and getting everything you need. Also, I personally didn’t feel like a pawn – I felt like a part of a team – genuinely, and it was a great feeling.

Do you have any favourite memories from filming with your co-stars, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, and Meghann Fahy?
Oh, wow, every day was a highlight, truly. I mean, working with all of those incredible actors was such a treat. I think some of my favourite moments were shooting in the house with Tommy. He’s so hilarious and we had a lot of fun with improv. There was a theatrical feel to it. We would block the scene with Caroline and then when it was time to show the crew, it felt like we were performing for a live audience the way they would all laugh and react. It was really special. I’ve never had that happen in another project before.

What was it like to watch the movie back for the first time, and now, assuming you’ve seen it multiple times at premieres/festivals, etc, do the same scenes or parts stick out to you?
It’s always nerve-wracking to watch a movie I’m in for the first time. I rarely enjoy the first watch because I’m always nit-picking my performance. I think this one I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time (also nit-picking, to be fair), but I found myself actually enjoying it and, dare I say, proud of what I did, which I felt was a good sign. This is without a doubt the movie I’m in that I’ve seen the most (probably 8 times now) because we’ve travelled with festivals all over and I’ve been curious to see how audiences from different places and countries react to it. It’s fascinating to see the parts that made Mexicans laugh the most versus the parts that made Brits laugh the most and it makes me also discover new things on each watch. The best thing is that everywhere we’ve played it: the audiences get it. They laugh and gasp and come on the journey with Laura and Monster, and that’s all you can hope for.

Is there a scene you’re most proud of?
I’m proud of a lot, but I think particularly the big confrontation at the theatre with Jacob. We wanted that moment to have people yelling at the screen and the reactions from audiences during that part never disappoint.

Amongst many themes, the film is about “falling in love with your inner rage” — is that something you understood the idea of going in? Did working on the film teach you anything about your own self?
I think I understood the idea of it, but it’s so easy to understand an idea and it’s way harder to put it into practice, right? To give yourself permission to love every part of the very complicated person that you are. To embrace the flaws and the weakness and from that vulnerability, in a way, birth the fully powerful self that you can be, that has a voice and knows how to use it. I learned a lot about myself making this movie. Like Laura, I learned that I’m so much more powerful and capable than I give myself credit for. I think that’s true for a lot of people out there. I hope this movie makes a lot of people feel seen and lights a fire in a lot of you out in the world.