Review of Monster (2003) by Essay — 10 Feb 2019

Monster, a criminal drama based on a true story, that of a prostitute, Aileen Wuornos, who committed six murders. She was arrested, tried and sentenced to death in Florida. She was considered the first serial killer in America. Patty Jenkins, the director behind the project, came into contact with Aileen Wuornos a few months before her death sentence, as did Charlize Theron for the preparation of this character. The filmmaker has won the trust of the accused and the main actress, her friend, Charlize Theron. The night before her death sentence, Aileen Wuornos has given permission to Patty Jenkins to have access to a single epistolary sum that will allow Charlize Theron to play the character effectively.

This film revolves around two young women, Charlize Theron in the role of Aileen and Christina Ricci in the role of Selby Wall. Both actresses had an outstanding performance in their respective roles. Other actors are: Bruce Dern plays the role of Thomas (the only friend that Aileen has), Pruitt Taylor Vince as Gene, Scott Wilson as Horton Rohrbach, Lee Tergesen as Vincent Corey, Annie Corley as Donna Tentler and Marco St. John in the role of Evan.

Abandoned by her parents from her young age, Aileen was raised, with her brother, by an alcoholic grandfather, became pregnant at 14 years old and had to abandon her baby. The same year, his father, convicted of child sexual abuse, died strangled in prison. Aileen started to prostitute herself very young. One night, after a suicide attempt, she went to a bar where she met Selby, a lesbian, apparently naive. At the end of the night, she will offer her to spend the night at her home and she agrees. Selby was a young adult who lived with her authoritarian parents. The following night, they met at a roller skate place, where Aileen reveal that she was a prostitute, and Selby told her about the accusation from a girl that she tried to kiss. At the end of the night, for the first time, they kissed. Therefore, it was the beginning of a love story between them. Not long after, Selby left the house where she lived to join Aileen, the prostitute who had killed one of her clients by self-defense, and became a serial killer to provide her lover, Selby, what she needed, while she is never satisfied. Through this love story, a series of sad and violent scenes take place. There are many scenes that have marked my attention: When Selby took her girlfriend car to go out to meet other people, at the bar, she was talking like Aileen using the word **** after each sentence. In my opinion, she started being a different person, she was no longer the innocent girl searching for love.

When Aileen was in a car with the man who never had sex, you read on his face the shyness, unlike the married whose daughter was expecting a child, although he begged her to let him live, she had killed him anyway. With Selby, she was tolerant and human whereas with men she had no pity. In conclusion, the tragedies of life often change the fate of some people. A real story, a frightening reality, but nevertheless touching, that will leave no one indifferent.