Monica Z (2013) User Reviews

General information

[TURKDb · 6/10 · 6 May 2023]

"Monica Z" is a 2013 Swedish biographical drama film directed by Per Fly, starring Edda Magnason in the lead role. The film tells the story of Swedish singer and actress Monica Zetterlund, who rose to fame in the 1960s and became one of the most beloved and influential artists in Swedish history.

The film offers a vivid portrait of Monica Zetterlund's life, from her humble beginnings in rural Sweden to her triumphant career on stage and screen. The movie explores her turbulent personal life, her struggles with addiction, and her enduring legacy as an artist.

Edda Magnason delivers a captivating performance as Monica Zetterlund, capturing both the vulnerability and the strength of this iconic figure. The film is beautifully shot and features a stunning soundtrack that pays tribute to Monica Zetterlund's signature style.

Overall, "Monica Z" is a poignant and inspiring film that celebrates the life and legacy of one of Sweden's greatest cultural icons. It's a must-see for fans of Monica Zetterlund's music and for anyone who appreciates powerful biographical dramas.

Great film about a Swedish Legend

[iam_moriya · 9/10 · 9 October 2013]

I left the theater smiling. It's rare that I get to see a truly good movie, but even more rare than that is that I see a truly good Swedish film.

Monica Z is a biography movie about the Swedish Jazz-singer, actress and variety performer Monica Zetterlund. It begins with the words "Freely based on the life of Monica Zetterlund" and after that tells a story of a talented but self-destructive singer who struggles to get the man she loves and, more importantly, the respect of her father. The film succeeds where so many biography movies fail. Instead of trying to squeeze an entire lifetime in roughly two hours this one has a clear story arc and focuses on a short period in the persons life.

The film has received some criticism for that, though. Some are not happy that the film differs from reality and some believe it to take place in a 15 year time span without the characters, and more specifically Monicas daughter Eva-Lena, doesn't age. However, they missed to read the text in the beginning. This is historical fiction. Many parts of Monicas life are boiled down into a time span of roughly 2-5 years at the most. The point was to tell a story based on and inspired by Monica, not a documentary. And that's why did movie is so good.

Besides the well-crafted story, the look of the film deserves it's fair share of credit too. This is a gorgeous movie, from design to costumes to the cinematography. It's great to look at.

Last, but not least, Edda Magnasson. She doesn't play Monica. She IS Monica. At times this movie feels haunted she's so spot on. Even in the music numbers. Edda performs all the songs herself and sometimes I was fooled that it really was Monica with Edda just lip syncing the words but no, it's her. All the other actors are great as well but they just glow compared to Edda who shines like a Supernova. If nothing else this movie is worth watching just for her.

Under the Spell of Monika Z

[kgenereux-75-533576 · 10/10 · 25 December 2016]

very minor spoiler at the very end of this review... It seems like Sweden was under the spell of Monika Z for a few decades. Here in the USA, we do not know her. Yet her story is so familiar: beautiful girl from a modest background. Big hopes and disarming talent. Poised for major discovery and stardom...with hopes foiled and rekindled many times along the way. Yet we never grow tired of the story, do we? Because every ending is different perhaps. This movie tells the tale in a more modest way than an American film would. It does not try to razzle dazzle us with Hollywood-style production numbers. It focuses more on Monika navigating between artistic impulse and fame obsession and the kaleidoscope of repercussions. True narcissists are rarely redeemed by self awareness or minor tragedies.With that in mind, I was kept in suspense wondering whether Monika suffered from a deep incurable personality disorder or a long bout of reversible blind ambition. I was not disappointed with the cinematic build-up to the final reveal. I know Danish, and watched the movie in Swedish with Danish subtitles on Danish public TV. Some of the nudity may have been cut, but I did not find anything offensive or describable as "full frontal" as another reviewer from Norway has mentioned. I only wish this movie had a full soundtrack of Edda Magnusson singing Monika Z classics. Her voice is enchanting. I like her renditions of Swedish jazz classics even better than the Monika Z samples I have heard on youtube. I gave the movie 10 stars, because rarely do I want to watch a movie twice, and now I plan to watch it for a third time in fact! The movie's only minor flaw was the bar scene with Ella Fitzgerald. The exchange was not very convincing to my mind. The actress who played the great EF was perhaps too strident. I would have expected a more reserved, almost indifferent reaction. So maybe the blame is also on the lines written. So to be precise, I would say 9 1/2 stars. Enjoy!

Remarkable women

[notanaxkiller-107-287911 · 9/10 · 2 January 2024]

Wonderful. Both Monica, and Edda. I'm a jazz fan...or thought I was, but had never heard of Monica Zetterlund until I saw this film. The actress portraying her is Edda Magnason, and as soon as I saw her, it felt like i had known her all of my life. She has that kind of appeal, and charisma. Her singing was spot on...even eerie. I'm assuming that it was her singing. I was hoping to find her in many other films, but believe there is only one. That's a true loss, for us. Monica Zetterlund herself came across as a driven woman, looking for approval from an apparently soulless father, and also from everyone in general. I hope that most women do not look to their fathers for approval and validation at the level she did. Fathers have a difficult relationship with daughters in the best situations. Her father couldn't seem to find a good thing to say to her, or about her. If this was an accurate assessment of their relationship, it's no surprise that she sought approval at every level, and from everyone. She had an interesting life, and left us with some beautiful music. My only real problem with the film is that her daughter never aged, over the years! And we don't get any information about how she felt about her mother's neglect, at various times. I thought the film was a good effort at the life of a Swedish legend. It wasn't perfect, but it left me searching the music that she left behind. I'm happy that I watched it.

Chronology?

[stensson · 5/10 · 6 October 2013]

Let's first make clear that Edda Magnason is fantastic as Monica Zetterlund, an icon in Swedish jazz music and entertainment. Not at least when she sings. It's almost scary.

But the script about her life outside stage is a melodrama on at best average level. The chronology is strange, 15 years pass and her daughter doesn't get older and nothing new is put to the common movie myth about the self-burning artist and her soul.

We're quite in love with the early 60s now. Both we who were where and the rest of us. Which doesn't mean we're so interested in this way of romanticizing it in this way, even the destructiveness it kept