The term ’’monster’’ is used or misused a lot in our society to describe human beings who are cruel and merciless and show little or no regard to human life. While its easy to criticize such people or condemn them to death as the case might me, precious little is ever done to understand the reasons behind their actions or the circumstances which transformed them into the so called ’’monsters’’.
Director: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Scott Wilson, Bruce Dern.
Duration: 111 min
Content: 18
Monster is based on the life of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Aileen was a prostitute who murdered seven people in the late 80’s (mostly 1989) all of them her so-called clients. Aileen was captured later, tried subsequently, found guilty and sent on death row. Aileen was finally executed in the land of the free in 2002.
And thus moving to the first shot of the film itself. Aileen is sitting under a bridge, wet and miserable. She has given herself to the flesh trade since the tender age of 13. Fifteen long years in the business, fifteen long years of persecution, fifteen long years of being nobody has finally left her with no alternative. She sits there lonely contemplating suicide. She’s set to go but changes her mind or rather puts her plans on hold. She realises she still has 5 dollars left. So what, you might say. But the reasoning would give you a good first hand insight into Aileen’s character.
Aileen’s logic: If I kill myself now, it would mean that I did that guy for free.
And based on how much hatred Aileen had accumulated against men in the past 15 years that was totally unacceptable. So Aileen decides to have a final drink down at the roadside bar before she puts an end to it all. But this bar doesn’t seem to be the usual kind of bar (or isn’t on that particular day). The bar seems to be full of women who are on the lookout for other women. Enter Selby Wall, a young lesbian woman who has just ventured out of home with similar intentions. Aileen stumbles into Selby and this triggers off an entirely new set of events into the lives of the two women. Up until this point Aileen didn’t even know the meaning of words like respect, trust or love. All of a sudden she is in the company of a woman who not only loves her but looks up to her, almost idolises her. Selby’s parents and relatives have (obviously) never been able to accept her sexuality and want to chain her to the rules of the society, want her to do a normal job, lead a married life and so forth. In Aileen, Selby has finally found a saviour. Aileen wants to take Selby away and take care of all her necessities. For that she would need money. But for Selby, Aileen would do anything... anything.
Monster is the first ever film of director Patty Jenkins. Even though the film does appear to have some rough edges and uneven pacing this is an extremely good effort. Jenkins seeks to provide a certain level of insight into Aileen’s character and expose the underlying motivation behind her crimes. At the same time Jenkins does not offer any excuses or justifications for the serial killer’s actions. Monster takes the direct path by looking at things from Aileen’s viewpoint providing a unique approach to a story involving a serial killer. The film, like so many preceding it, does not come out as a regular slasher flick with some one-dimensional psycho at the realm of things. Instead Jenkins makes an effort to unravel the human side of Aileen giving her character a lot of depth.
Charlize Theron is arguably the most beautiful actress in Hollywood. Until now she has only been called to provide a touch of glamour in her roles. There might have been a few moments to talk about but clearly Charlize has been no more than a cinematic eye candy in her previous movies. Her transformation from Charlize to Aileen is almost unbelievable. This in spite of all the modern makeup formulas like prosthetic masks, fake teeth and what not. Before joining the movies the South African born actress Charlize was also a model with an impeccable figure. Theron underwent a huge physical transformation putting on 30 pounds of weight (in all the wrong places) and sitting through hours of makeup every single day. Talk about dedication. With a sunken swollen freckled face and ugly teeth she is completely unrecognisable. But that’s only the appearance. Charlize delivers what could easily be one of the most powerful female performances ever in the recent history of filmmaking. Not only will this serve as a perfect boost for her career but also her rewards speak for themselves.
Best actress of the year (National Society of Film Critics)
Best actress in a leading role (Oscar)
Best actress (Golden Globes)
The magnificent acting by Theron inspires a very good one too from Christina Ricci in the role of Selby. The magnitude of her role is minuscule compared to that of Theron’s but she has definitely given her great support. The chemistry between them seems to be perfect too.
If you appreciate good films, Monster, for you, is a must see. As a film, Monster is pretty simplistic in its approach to be considered extraordinary. However, the incredible performances make it a very compelling viewing. Added to that Monster is also a film with a purpose. Most of the monsters in our society are media-monsters. Yes the monster is a killer but doesn’t this monster have a family like we do, doesn’t the monster have emotions and feelings like we have, doesn’t this monster need love.. Does the media ever try to reveal the human being beneath the monster? More importantly, do you want it to ?