Trauma Personified: 2018's "Citizen Rose"
After years of silence, trauma, and backlash, Rose McGowan tells her own story in this miniseries.

Traci, a gallerist, is relentlessly pursued by a sadistic killer fixated on a painting that once graced her gallery's centerpiece. Following a home invasion, Traci's friends come to offer solace and protection. But as the bodies begin to pile up, Traci is thrust into a desperate search for the painting, knowing it’s the only chance to stop the killer’s relentless slaughter.
After years of silence, trauma, and backlash, Rose McGowan tells her own story in this miniseries.
What seems like such a simple story of survival is so much more than that—it’s a story of family, and of war, and of destruction. It’s painful to watch, but not in a bad way. It makes its audience reflect on their own actions, and in how they are complicit in the sufferings of others as the adults in this film are. Grave of the Fireflies does not hold back from being heartbreaking, and it shouldn’t. It tells a message that needs to be heard decades after the war, and a story that cannot be forgotten by history.
The film, which focuses on an Argentinian family during an intimate birthday dinner, efficiently captures the eccentricities of each character as well as the nuances of their interpersonal dynamics.
Films staring black transgender actresses/actors are few and far between, it’s refreshing to see a demographic represented in film that hardly gets any attention. This is especially important as the Black trans community has been shown in studies to face the highest level of discrimination amongst general trans and non-binary groups. That is why it’s so crucial that we amplify their voices through any way we can, storytelling being a great medium to do so.
The movie makes it abundantly clear that Meeka becoming an official heir is the most likely going to happen. But if you are expecting to see a movie about Meeka’s perseverance and eventual ascent to the throne, prepare to be deeply disappointed.
Remember Caroline from Vampire Diaries? Well, now she’s The Suitcase Killer, allegedly.