Monster (2003) Brutal and Beautifully Performed Serial Killer Psychodrama (Blu-Ray Review)

Hello everyone, it’s Alex here, and this is the first non-Classic Film Kid piece I’ve ever done, so I now have free reign to talk about whatever I want. So of course I begin with innocence and purity by reviewing a film about serial killer Aileen Wuornos in a life of murder and prostitution. What can I say, it’s a good film!

Said film is Monster, released in 2003 and directed by Patty Jenkins, the same woman who recently helmed both Wonder woman films and is currently in pre-production on a Star Wars anthology movie. This success comes almost entirely on the back of Monster, as this is the only feature film she had directed pre-Wonder Woman, and this speaks volumes as to how effectively Monster tells its story and puts its vision out there.

Charlize Theron stars as Aileen Wuornos, the real-life serial killer who killed multiple people in cold blood, claiming it was self-defence as they were trying to rape her. The only things I knew about Wuornos going in was the footage I’ve seen of her trial, where she comes across as extremely unhinged, and her iconic last words where she claims she’ll be back “like Independence Day with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all.” Crazy stuff.

Going in, I was afraid that Monster would attempt to humanise her too much, glossing over her murderous tendencies and schizophrenia to present an overly sympathetic version of her, as that is the risk of making a biopic about any remotely controversial figure. 

What is immediately great about Monster is that it perfectly rides the lines between these two extremes – through both the script and performance, Aileen Wuornos is depicted as a troubled and paranoid figure who lets her trauma and stress drive her to madness, however, she is never seen as being truly evil and malicious, thanks to the amazing way this film handles the romance between her and Christina Ricci’s Selby. It’s the emotional core of the film, and it never feels forced, both actors are absolutely phenomenal with the roles and whenever they’re on-screen there’s an extra spark in the already great script.

I especially want to focus on Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Wuornos, as this is one of the most demanding roles I’ve ever seen considering the circumstances of Wuornos as a person. Theron pulls off such an impressive range and is so real in the part, even in the look, that I could genuinely mistake this for being the real person, she has that strong a presence. 

Ricci is also fantastic as Selby. Her character is based on a real-life love of Aileen Wuornos, Tyria Moore, and is initially a very shy and isolated figure but an instantly engaging one. We see her own struggles with her family, and the tensions between them that led to her hiding herself away, but meeting the outgoing and unpredictable Aileen helps her come out of her shell. It’s also a really interesting dynamic as Selby slowly realizes just how unstable Aileen is, and that crisis as to whether she stays with her because of their feelings for each other.

This payoff is nothing without the setup though, and their romantic connection is established brilliantly in the first act. Even before her first murder, we know the emotional stakes behind what she is fighting for, something that gets progressively more warped the more she descends into madness. The scene at the skating rink where they truly realise their feelings for another one is a highlight, with both actresses knocking it out of the park throughout the whole film. 

It’s where the murders begin that the film turns very dark very quickly, and it’s a miracle that it doesn’t severely jar with the romantic drama it was until this point. The scene where her first victim tries to assault her is truly terrifying, and that split-second where she manages to rummage for a gun and shoots him is a really cathartic moment that also kicks off Aileen’s downward spiral.

It’s now that I want to mention the things this film doesn’t show – even before these events, Aileen Wuornos had an incredibly turbulent and troubled past. Her father went to prison and committed suicide while incarcerated, her mother left her to her grandparents, and she got pregnant at 14 after being raped and went into prostitution from the age of 11. That is a lot of personal history that is undoubtedly dark but also a back story that the film surprisingly places little emphasis on. 

There’s the occasional reference to her son who is now in care, but other than that, I do wish that this tragic story had factored more into the story they tell throughout the film. It would’ve been interesting to perhaps see flashbacks of events from her past that mirror what goes on presently, or more references that flesh out her character, because as it stands, the plot feels a little too focused on the relationship between Aileen and Selby, when all the details of her past could’ve been exploited to strengthen both characters.

It’s also quite interesting that we see so little of her time in prison, as this is what gave Aileen Wuornos her “celebrity” status (if you want to call it that) – the statements she made, her unhinged personality, her trial. How does becoming an infamous killer like her impact her already fragile mental state? This is given very little focus in the film. The only thing we see of her post-arrest is a final phone call with Selby, her sentencing, and the final shot of the film where she is led through the doors to her death. 

I’m not even saying that the removal of these particular elements harms the film in any way. I’ve already said a lot that the core of the film, which is the relationship between Aileen and Selby and watching their complicated bond, is absolutely fantastic. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel like adding these details about her and covering the end of her life more extensively would have made Monster feel more conclusive and well-rounded. It would’ve also helped add to the duality of how Aileen is presented as I mentioned at the start – riding the lines between her being a struggling human and a vicious “monster.”

Despite these small problems and a story that I felt was slightly lacking in places, Monster is still a phenomenally-acted film. Patty Jenkins’s debut as director is absolutely brutal and quite tough to watch in places, but Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci always keep you invested and gripped in the plot, and watching the psyche of Aileen Wuornos deteriorate is enthralling. Monster is a definite recommendation for me, and it gets a strong 8 out of 10.

Well, that’s me done talking about Monster. If you haven’t checked out my review of Better Call Saul which also went up recently, please do as I’m really proud of that one and I have a lot of things to say about it. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time.

MONSTER