Review of Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) by John B — 19 Jul 2012

A deeply disturbing documentary of the iconic serial killer Aileen Wuornos from the most acclaimed documentary film maker in the U.K., Nic Broomfield. The documentary goes much deeper, much further than anybody could have anticipated. Rather than being a doc about murders and the US legal system, it turns into a metaphysical discussion about morality, what constitutes evil, the very norms of what society considers transgressive.

Nic Broomfield manages to get Aileen's sympathy and make her open up. Aileen is a woman who has been abused and raped her whole life, and as a result a lot of rage is bottled up in her. The film is a haunting odyssey of physical, emotional and spiritual pain, conveyed to the viewers by the unraveling of the hell that was Aileen's life, and more importantly through her own poignant facial expressions; you get the feeling there is something demonic inside her.