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Monster (DVD)
by GentleGenius
RELEASED: 2003, Cert. 18
RUNNING TIME: Approx. 109 mins
DIRECTOR/SCREENPLAY: Patty Jenkins
PRODUCERS: Mark Damon + four others
MUSIC: BT
MAIN CAST:-
Charlize Theron as Aileen
Christina Ricci as ... Selby
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FILM ONLY REVIEW
Monster is a film based on actual events in the life of Aileen Wuornos, a female serial killer and prostitute, who was executed in 2002 for killing six men.
The film begins when Aileen meets Selby, a young lesbian woman, in a gay bar. Selby mildly comes on to Aileen, her advances initially being met with hostility, but after a couple of beers and a chat, Aileen softens and the pair spends the night together.
Away from Aileen, Selby is staying with a middle-aged couple who agreed to put her up after she was banished by her parents for allegedly kissing a girl in church. Away from Selby, the very damaged Aileen continues her life as a prostitute.....but, after one of her clients brutally attacks her, she takes his gun and kills him with it.
From then onwards, Aileen vows to give up prostitution so that she can take care of the vulnerable Selby and provide for her. After unsuccessfully trying to find ordinary work, Aileen picks up the threads of her career as a prostitute, but this time with a difference....instead of giving into her clients' demands, she lures them to isolated places, kills them, stealing their money and cars...returning to Selby with promises of how they are going to be rich, move away and start a new life together elsewhere.
However, things don't work out quite as easily as either Aileen or Selby plan.
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Monster is a film which for about the first ten minutes, I thought was going to be really trashy. Firstly, the title put me off a bit, leading me to believe that although I knew from the outset that it was based on the true story of a prostitute turned serial killer, it would be a mish-mash of sensationalist nonsense. How wrong I was!
Very soon after the shaky beginning, I found myself getting drawn into the film, becoming more and more impressed with Charlize Theron's acting by the minute. She overall gives a truly compelling, stunning and very moving performance, which isn't in the slightest bit contrived or cheesy. The contrasts in Aileen's personality are put across brilliantly, as she oscillates from being a very tough lady who is prepared to go more than the extra mile to get what she wants, and earthily tender carer and friend of Selby. The thing which stood out for me is that Aileen feels pangs of guilt towards a couple of her victims, but is able to override them when she moves her thoughts towards her intentions of looking after Selby.
Christina Ricci is also very good as the wide-eyed, sometimes naïve Selby, but her excellent performance is slightly shadowed by that of Charlize Theron as the irascible, rough and ready Aileen.
I absolutely love the way the two women cohere together in this ultimately moving film, bouncing off of and complementing one another perfectly. Even as I type this, an hour or so after watching the film, I can't get Charlize Theron's facial expressions out of my mind, and I want to know why I haven't heard of this brilliant actress before. In Monster, she comes across as tousled, scruffy, dowdy and with a rather scary expression emanating from these deep brown, almost black eyes....yet to see photos of her on the internet, the glamorous woman in those is a million miles from her portrayal of Aileen in Monster.
Acting aside, what struck me most about Monster was the relationship between the two young women, and what held them together. It seems to me as if each one, in her own way, was just as needy and dependent on the other, but I personally saw Selby as the ultimate 'user', even though that wasn't her intention. Also, the way I see it is that Aileen isn't actually a lesbian or even bisexual, but she discovers something in Selby which she wants to nurture and stay with. Both women are rather lost in life, Selby expressing her neediness through vulnerability and Aileen hiding hers behind a tough outer shell...but her veneer does slip a little now and again.
Sailing very close to the wind and being aware of it, Aileen goes to the end of the line in order to exact money from her clients after she has murdered them, with the sole thought in mind of pleasing Selby. Aileen apparently had an extremely dysfunctional, unhappy childhood which is only touched upon briefly in the story....I would have liked to see this expanded on a little more, but even so, the film is fine as it stands. However, such doesn't excuse the fact that she was a serial killer, even though her motives were different to how they outwardly appeared. She is a very scary lady and a murderer to boot, but reading between the lines, I certainly wouldn't call her a monster.
I absolutely loved the music to Monster, the written score being what I can only describe as light 'road' music, interspersed with snatches of Blondie's The Tide Is High, Tommy James & The Shondells' Crimson & Clover and a couple of other gems. Even if anybody hates the film, if they have the same taste in music as me, they'll love at least that part of it.
Due to the very nature of the story which is based on truth, Monster does contain some scenes of violence, but they are very mild compared to say, a modern-day slasher film. There is no torture, no knives, no ripping out of anybody's internal organs....simply a woman who needs to kill, pulling the trigger of a gun at what for her are the appropriate moments.
I have no idea how closely Monster sticks to the life story of the real Aileen Wuornos, and she isn't alive so can't provide her own opinion....but, whether this is close to home or a few miles away, it is nonetheless a very compelling, moving film with stunning performances from the two leading actresses, particularly that of Charlize Theron as Aileen....which definitely is Oscar-worthy. I have no idea if Theron received any awards for her powerful performance, but if she didn't, then she sure should have done!
My overall recommendation is...watch it, and to not allow the first ten or so minutes of the film to prejudice you against it. Stay with this one, as it truly is well worth the ride.
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At the time of writing, Monster can be purchased from Amazon as follows:-
New: from £1.76 to £19.99
Used: from 1p to £99.99 !!!
Some items on Amazon are available for free delivery within the UK, but where this doesn't apply, a £1.26 charge should be added to the above figures.
Thanks for reading!
~~ Also published on Ciao under my CelticSoulSister user name ~~
Read the complete review |
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