Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Your Monster.Your monster is a horror romantic comedy with a dark ending, and Caroline Lindy’s directorial debut is now available to rent at home. The film follows struggling actress Laura (Melissa Barrera) as she recovers from cancer treatment. She’s also struggling with heartbreak after her writer-director boyfriend, Jacob (Edmund Donovan), abandoned her while she was sick. Upon arriving home, she is reunited with her Monster (Tommy Dewey) from childhood, and a romance blossoms between them.
However, Your monster is much more than just a romance narrative following the Monster and Laura. Most notably, it’s a story about finding self-worth that has a twisted and empowering ending; it just depends on how you interpret it. It’s hard to say whether the Monster that killed Jacob is metaphorical or has darker implications for Laura. That’s probably the biggest question left after watching this modernized horror. Beauty and the beast.
Is the monster real or is it in Laura’s head, in her monster?
Laura’s relationship with her monster is complicated
As Melissa Barrera’s Laura tries to keep her life under control in Your monsteryour biggest supporter is your Monster. Although their relationship starts out rocky, the Monster is by their side. However, after Laura kisses her ex during a difficult moment, the Monster and her fight. Although he is upset that Laura fell into Jacob’s arms, the Monster is most unhappy with the way Laura is hurting herself by allowing Jacob back into her life. Not wanting to hear this harsh truth, Laura pushes him away and he disappears until Laura accepts his worth and his anger.
Thematically, it makes sense that the Monster is a metaphor for Laura’s anger and her relationship with herself. The fact that he is mainly present when the film is fixed on her perspective supports this notion. There is no definitive confirmation that he is real, and he appears and disappears from her life depending on her relationship with herself. However, this is a fairytale romance, so the lines get blurred when it comes to logic, especially when it comes to Jacob’s death.
Who killed Jacob in his monster?
Laura violently regains control of Jacob
Laura’s terrible ex, Jacob, gives her plenty of reasons to hate him all the time Your monsteris running. He breaks up with her and makes her a stand-in for a production of a musical she was supposed to lead, but continues to treat her with disrespect. He’s still having an affair with Laura’s best friend Mazie (Kayla Foster), so it’s no surprise that she has a lot of pent-up anger towards him at the end of the film. This culminates in the death of Jacobalthough how this happens is a bit confusing.
Jackie (Meghann Fahy), the new protagonist of the production, and Laura devise a plan for Laura to take her place in the musical. This leads to a confrontation between Jacob and Laura during the break, and Laura looks ready to explode during the argument. With a broken ruler in her hands, Laura finally lets Jacob stay with her, telling him that he is a terrible boyfriend, director and person. When he tries to back away, she threatens to rip out his throat. That’s when the Monster reappears and does just that.
Unfortunately, when the curtains go up, the Monster is nowhere to be seen. All that remains is Laura with the bloody ruler in her hand, suggesting that the Monster is actually a manifestation of her self-esteem and anger. All signs point to Laura as the person who kills Jacobalthough the consequences of his actions are not explored in the film itself. Your monsterThe ending is left up to viewers’ interpretation, but it certainly seems like the Monster is a metaphor for Laura’s inner darkness.
Jackie’s Confession to Laura on Her Monster Explained
Laura discovers that her anger has been misplaced
Although Jacob is the antagonist of Your monsterLaura also has a lot of resentment toward Jackie, a Broadway actor Jacob has his eye on. All over You monster, he flirts with Jackie and Laura becomes convinced that they are sleeping together. However, after Laura’s frustrations came to a head near the end of Your monsterJackie learns about Jacob and Laura’s past.
Jackie checks on Laura after the explosion and apologizes for taking on the role intended for Laura. She also reveals that Jacob’s feelings are one-sided and that she is placating his feelings because of the power dynamic. Learning all this is a wake-up call for Laura. She finally sees through her ex’s bad behavior because he’s not just targeting her.
Laura also sees how a real friend should support her, as her supposed best friend does much less for her than Jackie does. Laura’s new friendship with Jackie is affirming on many levelsand also gives her an ally in the production, leading to Laura’s plan to replace Jackie on opening night. Although this plan ends in disaster, the bond between Laura and Jackie is a bright spot in the film’s conclusion.
What Your Monster’s Director Said About the Ending
Caroline Lindy confirms that the monster is real for Laura
Although it is logical to see the Monster of Your monster as a metaphor, this is also a modern fairy tale with a horror twist. He could be a metaphorical manifestation of Laura’s anger, but he could also be literal to some extent. For the director, however, the Monster is real to Laura (through Deadline):
This is a fairy tale, you know, I’m not advocating that people kill their ex-boyfriends. But in this fairytale monster musical horror romantic comedy, we get to kill the toxicity in our life and Laura has created this manifestation of her anger as this cute, charming monster who can do her bidding for her.
Laura’s relationship with the Monster and what she learns from him is realregardless of whether the Monster is literal. Furthermore, Laura’s anger towards Jacob and his death are real, making the result of Your monsterIt’s ending the same way. Laura’s Monster – whether her inner rage or a physical presence – is the one who kills Jacob. Everything she goes through so far is undeniably real and leads to the same place, regardless of the truth behind the Monster.
The true meaning of your monster
The monster is a metaphor for self-love
At the end of Your monsterwhich received solid reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes, it is intentionally ambiguous whether the titular monster is literal, metaphorical, or a bit of both. It’s not uncommon for films like this to end on such a note, as The shape of the water does something similar with its ambiguous ending about whether or not its protagonist dies. In both cases, because they are fairy tales, it is okay to suspend disbelief and accept the impossible as possible. For Laura, the monster is real, as Lindy highlights:
Monster is real to her. And I always imagined Monster and Laura riding off together into the sunset. I don’t see Laura going to jail. This is not that kind of film. Emotionally, she said, ‘I’m not going to let people treat me like this anymore. So exes, you’re dead to me. And you didn’t know I have a sexy monster who will rip your throat out.’”
The director’s words also speak of the real meaning of Your monsteris endingthat sometimes self-esteem appears in the form of anger and fury. This is especially true for the character of Laura, who spends much of the film accepting less than she deserves from those around her. So while the Monster seems like a violent force after killing Jacob, he also represents the love Laura knows she deserves — whether from herself or a partner.
Laura goes through a lot throughout the film, but Jacob’s death also has symbolic meaning for her. Metaphorically speaking, it means that the part of Laura that is willing to prioritize the comfort and feelings of others over her own is dying. The Monster helps her appreciate her worth, and she realizes that she needs to love herself as much as he does. It is a shame Your MonsterThe box office success was no greater, as the film’s message is powerful.
Source: Deadline