MONSTER
Directed by: Patty Jenkins.
Produced by: Charlize Theron, Mark Damon, Clark Peterson, Donald Kushner & Brad Wyman.
Written by: Patty Jenkins.
Director of Photography: Steven Bernstein.
Edited by: Jane Kurson & Arthur Coburn.
Music by: BT.
Released by: Newmarket.
Country of Origin: USA. 111 min. Rated: R.
With: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci & Bruce Dern.
DVD Features: Interview with director Patty Jenkins and composer BT. Featurette. Monster "Surrounded". Trailers.

Actress Charlize Theron has more authority as Aileen Wuornos, the prostitute who was convicted and executed for killing seven Florida men, than in any previous performance. Altered physically through weight gain, make-up and a dental piece, she is transformed into the swaggering and defiant Wuornos. Completely immersed in her character, Theron goes for broke in every scene. But in Christina Ricci's depiction of Selby, Wuornos's lover who eventually turns state witness against her, Ricci betrays Theron. In an attitude-laden, skin-deep portrayal, Ricci’s Selby is a timid, petulant wallflower, the antithesis of the butch Tyria Moore, Wuornos's real-life lover who appeared in Nick Broomfield’s documentary, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1993). The miscasting will be jarring to those who have see that film. (However, there are fine performances by Pruitt Taylor Vince as a shy, stuttering trick and Annie Corley as Selby’s Christian guardian.) Their relationship seems unlikely. When they meet in a gay bar, Wuornos belligerently argues with the bartender and complains she only has five dollars to her name, yet Selby is drawn to her, even as Wuornos pushes her away denying she’s gay.

Often this biography provokes unintentional laughter. Before she shoots a john, Wuornos gets lost in her thoughts, recalling her rage at age eight towards her father. As the john becomes alarmed by her anger, he starts to gingerly put his pants back on, while she stands nearby obliviously ranting and raving. After shooting him, and then discovering he’s a cop, she ditches his car. After confessing this to her lover, Selby, without skipping a beat, whines “Well, you’re just going to have to get another one.” The dialogue is played straight, with no hint of irony.

Undoubtedly a showcase for Theron, Monster pales in comparison to the more illuminating and riveting documentaries about Wuornos directed by Broomfield, including the soon to be released Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. Both films present a much more fascinating and compassionate look into her life and the circus atmosphere surrounding her case. KT
December 30, 2003

DVD Extras: The interview of composer BT (The Fast and the Furious) is the most interesting of the extras. Jenkins and BT talk of creating the score from scratch and experimentation with different instruments. In many instances, a hurdy-gurdy was used, a 15th century stringed instrument similar to the barrel organ. They explain the meticulous placing of the music as analogous to Aileen's emotional journey rather than with the murders so that the viewer is drawn to character psychology over action. (The “Monster ‘Surrounded’” blurb alludes to the score, which was recorded entirely in 5.1 surround sound rather than adding surround sound afterward.) Lisette Johnson
June 13, 2004