Queen of Manhattan (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

In 1970’s Manhattan, a woman in the sex industry hopes to change the stigma that surrounds those in her profession. Continuing to be active in her adult film career, she finds ways to usher in a new understanding of her line of work--and those around her are forced to follow suit. Queen of Manhattan follows the sex industry’s trailblazer, Vanessa (Vivian Lamolli), as she traverses a corrupt and ever changing world. 

Queen of Manhattan had the potential, based only on the subject matter alone, to be incredibly crude, sexually driven, and, in turn, inaccessible to the general audience. What Writer-Director Thomas Mignone attempts to, and mostly succeeds at, do is develop a film that is based nearly entirely on characters rather than expressly on the sex industry and the role that it played in 1970’s Times Square. Led by Lamolli, Queen of Manhattan is a lavish film that allows her character to shine, but Mignone also often strips this narrative down to its bare bones, withholds nothing, and ultimately creates a successful juxtapositional sense that transcends the entirety of the film. 

Why does the film sometimes feel grandiose and eccentric? 

Costume design plays a pivotal role in this. There’s never a question about what line of work these characters are involved in, and the costume design allows Queen of Manhattan to pop visually, entrance viewers, and invite them into a world so unlike (yet eerily similar to) our own. 

On the opposite end of the narrative spectrum, however, Mignone chooses to focus very heavily on the characters in question. Again, Vanessa is the most important character in Queen of Manhattan (effectively being the titular character), but she’s surrounded by others--i.e. Carly (Jesse Metcalf) and Sandy (Taryn Manning)--keeping the film grounded and allowing viewers access to a visceral narrative that, again, plays opposite the great size of the film’s visuals. I’ll be honest, the narrative can sometimes feel a bit frumpy, a tad disjointed, but in the times that viewers are given access to the emotional pieces that make up each of the characters, the heart and soul of Queen of Manhattan shines through nicely. 

Speaking of Queen of Manhattan being character based, Mignone does a spectacular job of allowing 1970’s Manhattan the ability to act as a character and speak to viewers. Much of this film is a time-travelling tour through the past, a time and place that differs greatly from the present in terms of the sex scene. The seemingly endless, yet claustrophobic Manhattan landscape ushers viewers through this film in a way that heightens the best parts of the film and helps to support the aspects in need. While I know Mignone had little say when it came to the greater location of the film (given the film’s necessary historical accuracy), the more intimate aspects of the set design played a massive role in the film’s success. 

While the overarching narrative present in Queen of Manhattan will likely struggle to reach some viewers, I think it’s clear that the vibrant costume designs, the immersive and character-like setting, and the overall character development will resonate with viewers. Mignone and his team clearly poured their hearts and souls into this project, a film that tramples stigmas surrounding the sex work industry and pokes and prods at your humanity. 

Written & Directed by Thomas Mignone. 

Starring Vivian Lamolli, Jesse Metcalf, Taryn Manning, Drea de Matteo, Esai Morales, etc. 

7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING