SummaryIn a revelatory performance, Charlize Theron stars in the shocking and moving true-life story of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute executed last year in Florida after being convicted of murdering six men. While Wuornos confessed to the six murders, including a policeman, she claimed to have killed only in self-defense, resisting violent assau...
SummaryIn a revelatory performance, Charlize Theron stars in the shocking and moving true-life story of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute executed last year in Florida after being convicted of murdering six men. While Wuornos confessed to the six murders, including a policeman, she claimed to have killed only in self-defense, resisting violent assau...
Monster, a criminal drama based on a true story, that of a prostitute, Aileen Wuornos, who committed six murders. She was arrested, tried and sentenced to death in Florida. She was considered the first serial killer in America. Patty Jenkins, the director behind the project, came into contact with Aileen Wuornos a few months before her death sentence, as did Charlize Theron for the preparation of this character. The filmmaker has won the trust of the accused and the main actress, her friend, Charlize Theron. The night before her death sentence, Aileen Wuornos has given permission to Patty Jenkins to have access to a single epistolary sum that will allow Charlize Theron to play the character effectively.
This film revolves around two young women, Charlize Theron in the role of Aileen and Christina Ricci in the role of Selby Wall. Both actresses had an outstanding performance in their respective roles. Other actors are: Bruce Dern plays the role of Thomas (the only friend that Aileen has), Pruitt Taylor Vince as Gene, Scott Wilson as Horton Rohrbach, Lee Tergesen as Vincent Corey, Annie Corley as Donna Tentler and Marco St. John in the role of Evan.
Abandoned by her parents from her young age, Aileen was raised, with her brother, by an alcoholic grandfather, became pregnant at 14 years old and had to abandon her baby. The same year, his father, convicted of child sexual abuse, died strangled in prison. Aileen started to prostitute herself very young. One night, after a suicide attempt, she went to a bar where she met Selby, a lesbian, apparently naive. At the end of the night, she will offer her to spend the night at her home and she agrees. Selby was a young adult who lived with her authoritarian parents. The following night, they met at a roller skate place, where Aileen reveal that she was a prostitute, and Selby told her about the accusation from a girl that she tried to kiss. At the end of the night, for the first time, they kissed. Therefore, it was the beginning of a love story between them. Not long after, Selby left the house where she lived to join Aileen, the prostitute who had killed one of her clients by self-defense, and became a serial killer to provide her lover, Selby, what she needed, while she is never satisfied. Through this love story, a series of sad and violent scenes take place. There are many scenes that have marked my attention: When Selby took her girlfriend car to go out to meet other people, at the bar, she was talking like Aileen using the word **** after each sentence. In my opinion, she started being a different person, she was no longer the innocent girl searching for love.
When Aileen was in a car with the man who never had sex, you read on his face the shyness, unlike the married whose daughter was expecting a child, although he begged her to let him live, she had killed him anyway. With Selby, she was tolerant and human whereas with men she had no pity. In conclusion, the tragedies of life often change the fate of some people. A real story, a frightening reality, but nevertheless touching, that will leave no one indifferent.
In her feature-film debut, writer-director Patty Jenkins combines the gritty, claustrophobic neo-realism of "Dahmer" with the unlikely gutter romanticism of "Boys Don't Cry," creating a haunting portrait of how a person can feel so desperate and hopeless that murdering for a few crumpled bills and maybe a beat-up car can begin to seem like a reasonable option.
Jenkins doesn't stint on the sickening reality of Wuornos' abhorrent behavior -- it's Theron's complex, deeply felt depiction of a thoroughly messed-up soul that forces us to look beyond the monstrous nature of her acts.
Gritty and compelling as Monster is, the script's not entirely satisfying elaboration of the central relationship and Ricci's somewhat ungiving performance limit the material to that of a superior telemovie rather than something emotionally richer, like "Boys Don't Cry."
Phony choppers and a startling resemblance to Jon Voight aren't enough to transform Theron into Wuornos, and I didn't buy either the performance or the character for a second.
Charlize Theron delivers with one of the best acting performances of cinema history, and shows she truly deserves an oscar for this one. the script seems nice but sometimes it's quite boring or predictable.
In other hands, 'Monster' could easily have been overwrought, overly-sadistic, over-sentimental and too heavy on the melodrama, which would have done an interesting and more complex-than-one-would-think serial killer an injustice.
'Monster' however turned out to be a near-flawless film, that has a real sense of the time, the brutality of the crimes and also the case's complexity. The story of Aileen Wuornos here is told here as more than just a serial killer film, it is instead a powerful film told with harrowing chills and tender humanity with Wuornos herself portrayed as more than just a monster without being glorified or over-humanised.
An ****, career-best performance from Charlize Theron as Wuornos helps enormously, a performance that goes way beyond changing her appearance completely by gaining weight and using dental prosthetics to the point of being unrecognisable and is one of gentle compassion and frightening coldness. This may sound oxymoronic, but it isn't, it means that what could easily have been a one-dimensional portrait of Wuornos is given surprising complexity by Theron.
She is superbly supported by an understated Christina Ricci, though one wishes that her character had a little more development and was more vividly drawn. The supporting cast all round are strong, if not burning in the memory as much or as long as Theron. 'Monster' is directed beautifully by Patty Jenkins, and the production values are similarly terrific especially in the gritty and classy cinematography that perfectly captures the dark subject matter. The music is used sparely but when used is very evocative of the period.
Further advantages are an intelligent and beautifully-constructed screenplay, that balances Wuornos' character with aplomb and the different mood components with equal adeptness, and a continually gripping story that is frightfully rich in atmosphere and mood.
Overall, truly excellent film especially for Theron, that avoids all the potential pitfalls it could easily have done in other hands. 9/10 Bethany Cox
A wonderful biographical drama that does not allow you to blink for 109 minutes. Charlize Theron is wonderful in this movie, she really means acting and kudos to Patty for directing this movie.
I have seen many Charlize Theron movies, but this one is my favorite by far. The story of Aileen Wournos has always been intriguing to me, but I did not think anyone would be able to portray Wournos as well as Theron did. Her performance was moving and made me forget I was watching a movie because I was so drawn in. The plot is accurate and Theron was able to show how truly troubled Wournos was throughout her life.
The movie was alright. It was more of a sadistic type of love story. What they failed to capture is really how nuts she was. Like do less of a love story and more of her psychoness. The **** was crazy! All the crazy interviews with her and all the outbursts she did in court, where's that? This movie almost tried to make you feel sorry for her when they really didn't show just how crazy she really was.
Production Company
Media 8 Entertainment,
Newmarket Films,
DEJ Productions,
K/W Productions,
Denver and Delilah Productions,
VIP 2 Medienfonds,
MDP Worldwide,
Zodiac Productions Inc.