As upsetting as it may be to see the beauty of Charlize Theron turned into the grisly serial killer, Aileen Wournos, she manages to pull off the role in such a way that she catapults her way into the upper echelon of actresses.
Theron plays the role of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute executed last year in Florida after being convicted of murdering six men. While Wuornos confessed to the six murders, including a policeman, she claimed to have killed only in self-defense, resisting violent assaults while working as a prostitute, but as the movie portrays Wournos was struggling to try and pull herself out of a lifestyle destined for tragedy since she ran away from home at a young age.
The movie begins with Wournos contemplating suicide when she walks into a local bar and meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a young girl who was sent to live with her aunt by her parents in an attempt to “cure her homosexuality.”
In her search for a friend and companion Aileen and Selby strike up a relationship that soon becomes sexual and Aileen’s motivating reason for survival.
Theron plays the role to such a level that she exudes the pain she is going through and you soon bare witness to the lengths she will go to get what she wants.
As graphic as some of the scenes may be they are all necessary and really give the audience insight into what is going through the killer’s mind at any given time.
Ricci as well turns in an excellent performance as she begins the film as an innocent girl searching to find her way and is soon Aileen’s only reason for living.
Director Patty Jenkins is a relative newcomer to film direction, but she doesn’t show it here as she guides the story along without a hiccup. With a story that is this tragic and emotional Jenkins managed to surpass every test taking audiences on an unimaginable rollercoaster ride that is just as terrifying as it is melancholy.
Monster just may be Jenkins springboard into greatness, as it is definitely a defining film for Theron’s acting career.
