Aileen Wuornos was often regarded as one of the most mentally unhinged American serial killers in the final quarter of the 20th century, and her ultimate conviction from murder during street prostitution has led to ongoing debate on whether she truly deserved her outcome or not. The 2003 biographical feature depicting said period in her life known as Monster continues to ask those questions, especially as its status has been highly acclaimed from critics and audiences and even won lead actor Charliez Theron her sole Oscar. But how well does the movie age today compared to 20 years ago?
The film follows the aforementioned Wuornos struggling through the dangerous world of highway prostitution while trying to obtain a normal life through a naive gay woman named Selby Wall. As this feature depicts the spiraling downfall of Wurnous's life that inevitably led to her being sent to death row, it also knows to display some form of human connection within Aileen's broken lifestyle, which is anything but difficult. Thanks in large part to Charlize Theron's brutally harsh performance and the brilliant makeup work, it is next to impossible to grasp just what Wurnous was feeling and thinking in both her fluctuating body language and vulnerable outbursts. While Wurnous's actions were truly reprehensible, Theron and director Patty Jenkins empathize with the subject more than enough to present her as troubled and complicated based on where she ended up rather than demoralize her from the get go. It's hard to transform into a real life person and make them convincing, but Theron found a way to make us feel for Aileen in more ways than one, and that is no small feat.
As for those in Wuornos's life, while Christina Ricci might not have been the ideal choice for Selby Wall, she still captures the emotionally tumultuous side someone brought into the life of someone who trusted an otherwise dangerous criminal. Considering Selby is a fictionalized portrayal of Wurnous's real-life girlfriend Tyria Moore, Ricci's intentionally clueless demeanor as the character allows us to see the devastation brought on from someone who wanted to see the world beyond their boring Christian lifestyle without understanding the repercussions of doing so. Many other characters either show a little bit of humanity towards Aileen like her only real friend Thomas or one notable law enforcer, or just view her as a piece of meat like the men she did in or those who rightfully show concern for Selby's well being such as her family. With the exception of the truly repugnant men Aileen witnessed, almost nobody in the film is truly seen as either a good guy or bad guy, and that could not have been portrayed better in any other fashion besides a documentary than this earnest biopic.
In regards to other notable qualities, the actual filmmaking is pretty good if not completely remarkable, but that is to be expected of lower budgeted indie films from this time period. While the Florida setting is mainly used as a backdrop for Aileen's misadventures, the themes of christian misdoings are displayed through the mundane and the unordinary, mainly through the typical yet shady towns Aileen and Selby roam through and the seemingly wholesome environments that are anything but pleasant, down to an amusement park coming off as a character motif for Aileen's little semblance of humanity left. Some scenes might end a bit too abruptly to get to the main purpose of the feature, but the film knows not to waste any time in allowing the more raw moments to sink in. Lastly, the soundtrack is a lot of fun to listen to in its own right, and the inclusion of Journey's hit song Don't Stop Believin' works well as symbolism of Aileen's own struggles as a thoroughly lonely victim that is partially their own worst enemy. Sometimes smaller production qualities can make a film work better than lavish ones.
Regardless of anyone's personal views towards Aileen Wurnous, Patty Jenkins' Monster remains a remarkably saddening tale of self destruction and dangerous consequences from one's own actions caused by themselves and those that damaged them. Unless you rightfully cannot handle the subject matter, this film is worth your time by means of understanding a slightly different point of view of a convicted murderer that the media often refuses to acknowledge. In a day and age where we are empathizing on what led to serial killers committing their crimes more and more, this feature holds up like fine wine.
The film follows the aforementioned Wuornos struggling through the dangerous world of highway prostitution while trying to obtain a normal life through a naive gay woman named Selby Wall. As this feature depicts the spiraling downfall of Wurnous's life that inevitably led to her being sent to death row, it also knows to display some form of human connection within Aileen's broken lifestyle, which is anything but difficult. Thanks in large part to Charlize Theron's brutally harsh performance and the brilliant makeup work, it is next to impossible to grasp just what Wurnous was feeling and thinking in both her fluctuating body language and vulnerable outbursts. While Wurnous's actions were truly reprehensible, Theron and director Patty Jenkins empathize with the subject more than enough to present her as troubled and complicated based on where she ended up rather than demoralize her from the get go. It's hard to transform into a real life person and make them convincing, but Theron found a way to make us feel for Aileen in more ways than one, and that is no small feat.
As for those in Wuornos's life, while Christina Ricci might not have been the ideal choice for Selby Wall, she still captures the emotionally tumultuous side someone brought into the life of someone who trusted an otherwise dangerous criminal. Considering Selby is a fictionalized portrayal of Wurnous's real-life girlfriend Tyria Moore, Ricci's intentionally clueless demeanor as the character allows us to see the devastation brought on from someone who wanted to see the world beyond their boring Christian lifestyle without understanding the repercussions of doing so. Many other characters either show a little bit of humanity towards Aileen like her only real friend Thomas or one notable law enforcer, or just view her as a piece of meat like the men she did in or those who rightfully show concern for Selby's well being such as her family. With the exception of the truly repugnant men Aileen witnessed, almost nobody in the film is truly seen as either a good guy or bad guy, and that could not have been portrayed better in any other fashion besides a documentary than this earnest biopic.
In regards to other notable qualities, the actual filmmaking is pretty good if not completely remarkable, but that is to be expected of lower budgeted indie films from this time period. While the Florida setting is mainly used as a backdrop for Aileen's misadventures, the themes of christian misdoings are displayed through the mundane and the unordinary, mainly through the typical yet shady towns Aileen and Selby roam through and the seemingly wholesome environments that are anything but pleasant, down to an amusement park coming off as a character motif for Aileen's little semblance of humanity left. Some scenes might end a bit too abruptly to get to the main purpose of the feature, but the film knows not to waste any time in allowing the more raw moments to sink in. Lastly, the soundtrack is a lot of fun to listen to in its own right, and the inclusion of Journey's hit song Don't Stop Believin' works well as symbolism of Aileen's own struggles as a thoroughly lonely victim that is partially their own worst enemy. Sometimes smaller production qualities can make a film work better than lavish ones.
Regardless of anyone's personal views towards Aileen Wurnous, Patty Jenkins' Monster remains a remarkably saddening tale of self destruction and dangerous consequences from one's own actions caused by themselves and those that damaged them. Unless you rightfully cannot handle the subject matter, this film is worth your time by means of understanding a slightly different point of view of a convicted murderer that the media often refuses to acknowledge. In a day and age where we are empathizing on what led to serial killers committing their crimes more and more, this feature holds up like fine wine.