Monique Escapes opens with a telephone call between Édouard Louis and his mother, who reveals that her partner is an alcoholic and emotionally abusive. Her sadness and fear distresses Édouard, who is in Athens, although his vacant apartment immediately offers her somewhere to stay - and an escape route.

Together, mother and son plot her next steps in what becomes a meditation on the price of liberty, the challenges involved in change, and the necessity of remaking their own relationship even as they work to free her from cycles of abuse. It is a work of remarkable emotional directness and a fascinating reflection on the interplay between life and art - and ultimately the story of an older women's reinvention as she starts a new life.