In October 2016, Monáe made her feature-length film acting debut in Moonlight, alongside Naomie Harris, André Holland, and Mahershala Ali.

[13] While filming her two movie roles, Monáe remained active in music with features on Grimes' "Venus Fly" from her Art Angels album[14] and also the soundtrack for the Netflix series The Get Down with a song titled, "Hum Along and Dance (Gotta Get Down)".

[20] On February 16, 2018, Monáe revealed her third studio album and the accompanying narrative film, entitled Dirty Computer, through a teaser video released on YouTube.

Actress Tessa Thompson and actor Jayson Aaron co-star as Zen and Ché respectively, lovers with whom Jane escapes "the clutches of this repressive society."

Tim Grierson of Rolling Stone described that, in the film, "Monáe plays with the conventions and totems of dystopian sci-fi to speak her truth and promote a cultural shift toward a more inclusive and loving society – no matter what repressive government (whether real or fictional) is trying to crush that spirit.

"[10] On February 1, 2019, Monáe released a new director's cut of the Dirty Computer emotion picture with 13 extra minutes of bonus interviews from the cast and crew.

"[1] Neil McCormick for The Daily Telegraph called Dirty Computer "unblushingly and unsparingly direct...[It] establishes itself as a contender for album of the year, in more ways than one... [Monáe]'s layered sound is as contemporary as that of such digital trailblazers as Kendrick Lamar or Kanye West, yet it has an old-fashioned organic quality that comes from a bedrock of live musicianship.

"[2] The Independent reviewer Roisin O'Connor stated that Dirty Computer is "a record that will go down as a milestone not just as a work of art in its own right, but as the perfect celebration of queerness, female power, and self-worth.

Club described that, on Dirty Computer, "the erstwhile 'Electric Lady' loses the metal and circuitry, but none of her power or artistry, cementing her status alongside Prince in the hall of hyper-talented, gender-fluid icons who love and promote blackness.

"[8] Josh Hurst for Flood Magazine wrote that "Every generation needs its own soundtrack for kicking against the pricks, and Monáe delivers one—easily the most pop-conversant, hook-laden, and propulsive music of her career.

"[37] Robert Christgau, who in the past had found Monáe's voice too thin and her songwriting overly intellectual, was converted by Dirty Computer's Prince-inspired, sex-positive songs: "Too often prosex albums are shallow.

"[36] In a less enthusiastic review, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian suggested that "You occasionally wonder if an understandable desire to cross over commercially might not be at the root of the album's less inspired moments: there's something commonplace and risk-averse about the pop-R&B backing of 'Crazy, Classic, Life' and 'I Got the Juice'...

It's hard not to wonder if her failure to connect with a mass audience might be because her desire to work with concepts and characters, rather than unburden herself, suggests a certain aloofness... She is as elusive as ever, and her mystery remains intact.