Monster (2003)

	Directed by: Patty Jenkins	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Monster RUNNING TIME 109 minutes
	Produced by: Mark Damon Donald Kushner Clark Peterson Charlize Theron Brad Wyman
	Written by: Patty Jenkins

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Aileen/Lee	Charlize Theron	½
Selby	Christina Ricci	½
Thomas	Bruce Dern
Vincent Corey	Lee Tergesen	-
Donna	Annie Corley	½
Gene/Stuttering "john"	Pruitt Taylor Vince
Horton/Last victim	Scott Wilson

Review

A virtuoso performance by an almost unrecognisable Charlize Theron as serial killer Aileen Wuornos spearheads this semi-effective biographical film by first-time writer/director Patty Jenkins. The story has an abundance of potential, which is realised in certain poignant scenes of great dramatic power, yet Jenkins' uneven and ill-focused direction makes Monster an unfulfilled experience. The portrait of Lee leans too heavily on her immediate reactions and emotions, offering too little insight into her deeper, more persistent mental state. The undeniably intriguing Freudian layers in her character only surface in small details, and the everyday realism the film wisely opens with could have evolved into something more probing as she drags herself further and further into the abyss.

Still, the main letdown is the overfocus on the romance between Lee and Selby (Christina Ricci) – a fictional character based very loosely on Wuornos' real-life girlfriend Tyria Moore. Selby is a cute little Hollywoodish lesbian caricature of very little personality. Most of her actions seem motivated by the plot – by a need to portray Lee's crimes in the 'doomed lovers' tradition. Although Monster offers sharp observations about Lee’s longing to love and be loved, the relationship between her and Selby doesn’t quite have the weight needed for the film to rest on it, making it feel somewhat forced. And that's a shame, because a story as particular and atypical as that of Aileen Wuornos could have been really powerful had the focus been a little more on truth and a little less on dramatic pretence.