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Sometimes films that are
well done are also very difficult to watch: such is the case with
Monster, director Patty Jenkins’ first
feature-length film. It tells the real-life (though dramatized) story
of Aileen “Lee” Wuornos, a serial killer executed by lethal
injection in Florida in 2002. Lee (Charlize Theron)
had a very difficult childhood – raped at age 8, a prostitute
by age 13 – and never felt wanted or loved by anyone until she
met Selby (Christina Ricci). Selby is also an outsider,
from Ohio but living in Florida after being sent there to “get
over” her homosexuality. The two quickly bond and plan to make
a life together somewhere else, but to get the money, Lee spends one
last night hooking. This time, though, everything goes wrong –
the man gets rough and Lee shoots him in self defense. After Lee fails
to land a normal job, she once again returns to hooking, but when
another encounter turns violent, she again pulls a gun. Soon, four
other johns are dead and everything falls apart.
Although Jenkins and co-producer Theron’s intent with this
film was to humanize Lee while still showing that she was guilty,
many critics and even the victims’ relatives have criticized
the film for making it look too much like her troubled background
was to blame for her crimes. I don’t agree; I think the film
paints a relatively even-handed portrait of a very disturbed woman
from a horrible situation but who still knew what she was doing.
Theron is spell-binding and almost unrecognizable in the role –
having gained 30 pounds, used false teeth, and changed everything
from her walk to her facial expressions – and she has won
many awards for it, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and the Silver
Bear at the Berlinale. And while the film is not easy to sit through,
it is worth seeing for its portrayal of how a normal person can
be turn into a monster.
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