Monster
Written and Directed by: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern

There are a lot of different reasons why people go to watch movies. Sometimes you want to laugh or feel inspired, sometimes you want to be temporarily frightened or feel the thrill of adventure outside every day life, and sometimes you just want to see a whole bunch of stuff get blown up. Monster, however, is a whole other kind of deal. It’s the kind of movie that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre, but not one that leaves you feeling particularly happy. In fact, many scenes are difficult to watch and fill you with a sense of dread and hopelessness… but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch this movie. On the contrary, I insist that you to go see it immediately! This movie needs to be seen, if not for the absorbing performances and keen direction, then simply because it’s a storythat deserves to be told.

Monster is a true story based on Aileen “Lee” Wuornos, a prostitute whose tragic life eventually drove her to become what many have called the world’s first female serial killer. Unlike most serial killer films however, Monster humanizes her and paints a very sympathetic view of her plight. Often with movies based on a true story, I find myself wondering how accurate the events in the movie really are. Writer/director Patty Jenkins spent a considerable amount of time talking with Wuornos during her time on death row, which leads one to think that the details are fairly authentic. On the other hand, the story is also being told from her point of view (the narrations are taken from actual letters that Wuornos wrote to Selby), which may be a little biased but still results in a very moving film.

All of the Oscar buzz surrounding Charlize Theron’s performance in this movie is well-founded and hard-earned. Though we call them “actors” and “actresses”, there are far too many Hollywood stars who earn their keep by repeatedly portraying characters that are minor variations on their own real-life personas. I’m sure acting isn’t the easiest job in the world, but how many roles can you think of that transformed the person onscreen into a character so different you could no longer recognize them? This is exactly what Theron achieves here. While make-up and prosthetics help in the unlikely process of masking Theron’s good looks, she deserves most of the credit not only for gaining 25 pounds to alter her body shape but mainly for mastering a completely different set of mannerisms and speech. With Monster she took a risk that few actresses would take, and that requires a dedication to the art of dramatic acting that you don’t see too often. Compared to some past Oscar winning performances such as Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball, this is the real deal.

Christina Ricci deserves some credit as well for her turn as Lee’s lesbian lover and sole confidant, although the role is not as demanding or as absorbing as Theron’s. As we watch Lee tread down a path of killing that she can never hope to return from, there’s no doubt that Monster wants you to feel compassion for her and understand why she was pushed to that point. Although Patty Jenkins never tries to convince us that what she did wasn’t wrong (especially as we see her victims growing more and more innocent), by the end of the film you can’t help but question the death sentence and wonder whether or not it is ever justifiable in this day and age. This is unquestionably one of the best movies of 2003, and hopefully a wider release will see it get the recognition it deserves. — Sean

Around the Web: