FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
MONSTER
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
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
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