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4.0 out of 5 stars A CINEMATIC VIEW OF A SORDID, WASTED LIFE..., June 8, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Monster (VHS Tape)

This controversial film is worth seeing, if only for Charlize Theron's outstanding, Academy Award winning performance. Ms. Theron totally loses herself in the character of Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida and was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Aileen Wuornos was finally executed in 2002, after spending many years on death row.

The film details the hard knocks life led by Aileen Wuornos, from that of a troubled teenager looking for love in all the wrong places to that of a hard living prostitute. It also looks at the very human side of Aileen Wuornos, a woman who found love in the person of a troubled, young lesbian in her late teens (Christina Ricci), who would ultimately betray the trust that Aileen Wuornos believed lay between her and her eventual fate.

Ms. Theron's physical transformation is startling, though I found her still recognizable as Charlize Theron. It is her performance, however, rather than her physical transformation, that is more startling, as she infuses it with a high voltage intensity and swagger that bowls the viewer over. She makes the person of Aileen Wuornos come to life. She is a low rent individual, white trash to the core, prostituting herself by getting into cars in order to have sex with total strangers. So, this film is not for the fastidious, as we are looking at the seamy underbelly of the beast in this film, and it sure isn't pretty. It is also a credit to Ms. Theron's compelling performance that the viewer is able to feel pity for Aileen Wuornos, a woman who is so vile, yet, at the same time, so vulnerable and pathetic.

The direction is excellent in the film, as are all the supporting performances. Christina Ricci is very good as the weak, passive, troubled young woman with whom Aileen Wuornos enters into a lesbian love affair, a relationship which lasted years in real life rather than the short time depicted in the film. Ms. Ricci infuses the role with a certain amoral, vapid selfishness that makes the character's betrayal of Aileen Wuornos comprehensible. Bruce Dern, in the role of Thomas, Aileen Wuornos' only true friend, is a stand out, as he adds depth to an otherwise small role. It is clear that Thomas saw something in Aileen Wuornos that the rest of the world missed. It is the most decent relationship that Aileen Wuornos appears to have had.

The film itself, despite the stellar performances, is somewhat flawed, as it is unclear as to what made Aileen Wuornos tick, though it makes an attempt at deciphering her psyche. There are several theories that are exposed for the viewer to ponder: abused child, rape victim, and love sick puppet. They fall short of explaining adequately this troubled woman who would go on to achieve such notoriety. Notwithstanding this unresolved issue, the film is still a compelling one, though not one I would necessarily care to view again, as there is nothing at all uplifting about the disturbing and sordid life led by Aileen Wuornos. Consequently, I consider this film to be a one shot deal, despite the wonderful performances.