Monster

I just saw again Monster, followed by Nick Broomfield's gripping documentary on Aileen Wuornos, and what a brilliant film it is. It sort of reminded me of the kind of movies they used to make in the '70s, where the characters were really the center and they weren't trapped by formulas or by the self-indulgency of the director or the actors. The characters aren't judged, but they're shown with their humanity. With empathy. The result is not your usual indie movie that tries to be hip, or a sugar-coated version of this tragic story with an answer for everything and a nice confortable message in the end, but a truly moving and absorbing film that focuses on the people whose story is telling. At the core there's the amazing performance from Charlize Theron, who's deserving of all the praises and the awards she got. Her work is powerful, subtle, moving and layered. It's incredible to watch Broomfield's documentary, after seeing the film. Sometimes it really seems like watching the same person. It's not only that she recreated her mannerism, which she did perfectly, she's also, somehow, got her energy, as a person. She got to the emotional reasons as to why Aileen's mannerism was like that. In short: an extraordinary performance and a powerful film.

An intense, depressing movie. It sticks pretty close to the facts but focuses chiefly on the relationship between Charlize Theron as Lee and Christina Ricci as Selby. The police are hardly there at all. In fact, neither is anyone else except for Bruce Dern who makes one or two short but welcome appearances.

It could easily have been a by-the-numbers TV movie. (Come to think of it, it has, hasn't it? With Jean Smart?) But the production values are good, and the time and money has been spent on this film that we usually associate with feature films.

The cinematography is outstanding. The shots of Lee near the end of her rope, hitching on a foggy blue nightime Florida highway look like a desktop theme from some arty horror/occult site. The script doesn't have many tag lines. No "Rosebuds" or "I coulda been a contendah." Nor is it folksy or catching in some other way. The dialogue follows the story in being pretty straightforward and without much in the way of noticeable touches. The director should be commended on her handling of two things. One is the explanation for Lee's crimes. None is given. There is a short scene in which Lee tells one of her johns about her miserable childhood, but the abuse excuse is vitiated by Selby's mother, an orthodox and unimaginative woman, who says simply that lots of people have hard childhoods without growing up like Lee. And the men are not all turned into sadistic hogs, which must have been a temptation for the writers. The second virtue in the direction is its management of the murders. Instead of exploding heads, there are a few squibs, and usually not even that, before the victim yields to the fathomless, cool, enwinding arms of death. The themes explored here are not so much violence as love and desperation.

Ricci looks the part, with her broad forehead and tiny lips, but comes across more as a Valley Girl than the kind of outcast who would pick up and move off with someone like Lee.

Which brings us to Theron's performance as Lee. It's startling, of course, to see a glamor-puss like Theron so thoroughly deglamorized. It's the kind of performance that wins Academy Awards -- lesbians, the height-challenged, autistics, all have won awards in recent years. Theron deserves recognition for her effort too, but not just because of the makeup and wardrobe. They're all splendid. Makeup has shaved her brows to a Mona Lisa extent and turned her face just blotchy enough and given her a raggedy set of teeth.

But that's not all that has made her performance as the central character so memorable. (She's in almost every frame.) And it isn't the thirty or so pounds that she put on for the role either. What's so homeric about that? I can put on thirty pounds without blinking an eye, and enjoy doing it. Heck, I can put on forty or fifty if she wants to get into a peeing contest. No -- it's Theron herself who MAKES the character. She's great, particularly in her physical manifestation of Lee -- her body language, for instance. Instead of coasting through the role, she animates it. The way she struts around with her shoulders thrown back and her face down, emphasizing her several chins and the girth of her neck. Maybe it takes a profession ballerina to figure out these little techniques. Her voice isn't as coarse as that of a hooker who constantly puffs on cigarettes, but Theron does what she can with her own. She overcomes her native South African speech with no trouble and introduces us to a breathless bravado that she's never used on screen before -- not that I know of.

Her movements, her speech, her dreams, are filled with a desperate illusion that doesn't exactly make us feel sorry for her but does make us worry for her -- that she might, for instance, start screaming at any minute and never stop. A nerve-racking picture of a ruined soul.

Is it worth seeing? Absolutely. You won't learn too much about how Aileen Wournos turned into the person she did. Even the narrative itself is a little confusing at time, so that you can't be sure where Lee and Selby are at given moments. But it's Hollywood professionalism at one of its rare high points. It's made by a mature team for an audience of adults. Refreshing.

Based on a true story this movie is about Ailen Wuornos, a prostitute, who killed quite a few men who she "serviced". She was convicted in 1990 and executed in 2002.

She's played by Charlize Theron who's just incredible. It starts off just before she began murdering men and has met Selby (Christina Ricci), an adorable lesbian who loves her. It basically chronicles their relationship and what led Wuornos to kill these men. Also she reaccounts her childhood and how she became a prostitute. It's more than a little depressing--it's a tragic story of a beaten woman who saw murder as the only way out. Only three murders are shown and that's more than enough. The violence is not glorified--it's bloody and sick and one is the most harrowing thing I've seen in years. What's so fascinating (and scary) about this film is that I actually began to sympathize with Wuornos! While I could never condone her actions you can see clearly what led her to it. This is a rare film--it makes a serial killer look sympathetic.

Theron is a wonder in this--she became Wuornos (who was very unattractive). She gained weight, shaved off her eyebrows, colored her hair, used contacts and dentures to change her appearance completely. Never once did I think I was seeing Theron acting--she BECAME Wuornos. A great performance--she'll easily get the Oscar for this one. Ricci is also good here. She's been ignored in the press but she nicely underplays the role of Selby and is a perfect contrast to Theron's acting. Also nice to see Bruce Dern in a small role.

Music is used very effectively here. They play songs of the time it took place (1980s) so you know when this is happening and also nicely complements the actions on screen (especially with Journey's "Don't Stop Believing").

A very good movie but a very depressing one. Proceed at your own risk.

"Monster" is, overall, one of the saddest films ever, and one which doesn't step back at the view of the darkest side of existence: the fact that there are people who will lead their entire life without one single break, without any long-lasting achievements, success, or happiness. The title suits the story very well -there are many possible interpretations, but I personally like to read it as the description of what Aileen Wuornos's life is: a monster. There's nothing remotely nice in this story about her, and when she seems to have accomplished something, there's this feeling of impending doom -we know that it isn't meant to last long. The story is told by Aileen herself, in a very sarcastic and cynical tone, and she proves how adagios like "all you need is love and self-confidence" are just nice words, empty formulas with no real ground.

The film offers a handful of good messages. For example, I find it very interesting that it doesn't chalk all that misery up to life's natural lack of any justice, so that Aileen doesn't appear as just a victim of circumstances, as she says in one moment of the film; instead, the film shows that Aileen often has the option to act one way or the other, and she makes a decision. It could have been different, she could have picked the other option, but she knows what she is doing and she gives many reasons why she's doing so. The film sympathizes with her, but doesn't pity her; it just shows her actions and the motives that she feels are valid. It doesn't justify her. The viewer is left to reach his/her own conclusions. I find this one great achievement of the film, and one that makes a big difference between this film and many dramas that wallow in pity and justification of the character's deeds.

Like many have said, both Charlize Theron's and Christina Ricci's performance are flawless. I feel that Theron really deserved the Oscar. Ricci is great too, and this should be even more of note since she isn't given a lot of space to develop the character of Selby, Aileen's lover.

The film has its flaws, but it still is a rather impressive document, and one that certainly gives some food for thought.

After just seeing this film, I'm pretty much speechless. This is a tough film to comment on. This is mainly due to the fact that it's a serial killer film where you actually end up feeling sympathy for the killer. Near the end of the film, when it goes completely out of control for Aileen Wuornos, there's no feeling of "justice is done once again"... quite the contrary, actually. It's so moving and disturbing, following this person's life, through the last part of it. In the beginning, we get a fairy tale-like presentation of Aileen's hopes and dreams in her young years. Without warning, we're thrust into the hard reality of her current years, immediately afterward. From there on out, we're in her world, feeling her pain, experiencing her failures. We get to know her as the film goes on, but we feel for her from the very beginning, without even knowing why she is like she is. That says something about the masterful direction and writing of Patty Jenkins that is featured in this film. The plot is great, and it's surprisingly easy to follow the thought process of Aileen... we understand why she kills. The pacing is very good, there are only few scenes that seem to move slow, and I don't think there was really any point where I was bored. The locations is incredibly authentic. Jenkins actually went out of her way to get shooting done at several places where the real Aileen had been, and even cast people who had met her in smaller roles. Cinematography is great. Acting is pretty much flawless; both Theron and Ricci shine in their roles. The movie also has a unpleasant view of prejudice from the 'other side'(the people who become victims to prejudice), and hopefully this will act as a much needed wakeup call for the people who believe in and go by prejudice. What really makes this film have an impact is how dark and real it is. No happy ending, no silver lining... just tough, uncut reality. When you see it, you can't help getting engulfed in this person's world. The raw horror of her life moves you. I can't see anyone, no matter ignorance, beliefs or moral and ethic standpoint coming out after seeing this film and believing that Eileen was the 'bad guy' in this story. It's just not possible. I haven't seen any of the interviews with the real Aileen Wuornos and I didn't follow her case, but I would like to know more about her, find out what she was like to a greater extent than a movie of 1 hour and 45 minutes can tell me. That's what this movie did to me. It made me care for this person, and that says more than anything I can put in this review. You need to see this film, unless you refuse to watch anything that has harsh reality instead of a happy ending. I recommend this to anyone who can take it. This movie will depress most people, but after this one viewing, I consider it required viewing for just about anyone. 8/10