Review: Monster

2004-02-26 13:05

Daniel Dercksen

Cape Town - If there is one film you have to see, it is the independently produced Monster.

Although Charlize Theron's astounding transformation and exceptional performance are enough to warrant a viewing, Monster itself is enough reward for anyone seeking significant entertainment that will change the way you look at the world.

In exploring the "monster" we all fear and uncovering the face that lurks behind the evil, first time writer director Patty Jenkins gives us a sincere portrait of an ordinary woman who wanted to be a princess, but became a ruthless killer.

Florida prostitute Aileen Wuornos desperately wanted to escape the entrapping of a horrid past and sordid life that ensnared her.

She wanted to be loved without having to provide sexual favours. Unfortunately the princess turned into a toad when she became a victim of circumstance; this empowered her with a difficult choice: to kill in order to survive and to kill out of hatred.

The power of Monster lies in Jenkins' extraordinary ability to strip the film bare of any superficial sensationalism, and Charlize Theron's powerful performance that allows the real Wuornos to tell her story.

At first it is difficult to find the Charlize Theron we have come to know in the film; in fact, she's unrecognisable as the beautiful, blonde we've seen in films such as The Cider House Rules, Devil's Advocate and The Legend of Bagger Vance.

Uncovering the truth behind headlines

Jenkins and Theron had the exceptional opportunity of uncovering the truth behind the news headlines when Wuornos handed them all her private letters the day before her execution.

There is an unnerving depth that penetrates the narrative and guides us into the psyche of a killer that reveals the opposite of other glossy versions of cinematic serial killing superstars.

Wuornos is very much living another life through the images and words of Monster. Her private correspondence is now a public manifesto.

Monster is reminiscent of James McNaughton's excellent 1990 Henry: Portrait of a serial killer, a brutally candid profile of a murderous drifter.

Just as McNaughton presented an honest analysis of a serial killer, so does Jenkins probe the world of Wuornos without exploiting the subject matter.

McNaughton showed us that Henry killed because he killed. He did what he did because it made up his human fabric.

Jenkins' portrayal of Wuornos equally depicts her actions as part of who she was; although it was triggered by events that she had little control over, it became an integral part of her survival.

Theron is superb

Theron is superb in her dual role of lover and killer; when she is the lover who tries frantically to make ends meet and please her loved one it is touching and heartbreaking; when she transforms into the cold and calculated murderer it is shocking and appalling.

Theron brings the character to life through extraordinary mannerism; it her simplistic actions (the way she flicks her hair; her body language) that magnifies the internal, emotional strife. There is a bravado in her attitude that reflects her naïve nature and contrasts her dangerous deeds.

There is an balance in Theron's performance that never allows the audience to take sides. As concerned observers it is difficult for us to judge because we become a part of the experience and intimately share her journey through hell.

The scenes we witness in Monster are familiar. We are not shocked by what happens, but disturbed by the realisation of the relevance it has to our troubled lives and the world of violence we inhabit.

Monsters that feed off our vulnerability

It is a film that becomes a part of its audience, embracing the differences and experiences that make monsters of us all.

Monster magnificently depicts how it is the wrongdoer within us that makes us who we are. We all have a dark side that casts a shadow over our moral fibre and exposes our weaknesses. If we answer to this savage call, Monster clearly states that we have to be responsible for our actions.

The film shines a light on issues that we tend to ignore until it headlines the news. It is in retrospect that we try to find answers to the horror that we have turned away from.

It also shows what other monsters lurk in the shadowy world of prostitution; when sex workers become vulnerable prey and lurid fantasy turns into brutal rape.

Jenkins clearly underlines the dangers we expose ourselves to when we allow ourselves to become susceptible; when we put our lives in the hands of others due to circumstance or love.

Then there are the monsters that feed off our vulnerability, such as the character of Selby Wall, a lesbian who seduced Wuornos into a realm that existed on the outskirts of her life.

Christina Ricci delivers a great performance as Selby, at first being shy and naïve, then turning vicious and nasty when she tries to be like Wuornos, and live dangerously.

In the film the character of Wuornos sums up her actions by saying that "people kill each other every day, and for what? Politics. Religion, their heroes."

Infused with humanity

The romantic subplot that drives the narrative of Monster infuses it with humanity. The depravity of love resonates through all the scenes, as we witness Wuornos' hopeless attempts at being human, and Selby's humanity destroying their hope at happiness.

Wuornos' hopelessness and desperate outcry brings an understanding to the circumstances that caused her suffering. In some ways, it softens the blow of the choices that destroyed her life.

The story is told through the lens of an exceptional filmmaker that brilliantly captures the raw, hardcore nature of Wuornos' story.

It is not a shocking film that relies on the dynamics of cinema to be effective; it is simply a well told story that captures the essence of the evil that rekindles savage instincts.

Go behind the scenes of Monster at website: www.gal.co.za/writingstudio and go to "the latest releases".

- News24