Monster
2003 · Directed by Patty Jenkins
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
The story
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
What it’s like
Washed-out motel rooms, roadside diners and dim car interiors, lit mostly by flat daylight, sodium streetlamps and the cold blue of a TV set, give Patty Jenkins's 2003 film a bleak, sun-faded Florida texture. Camera work is mostly handheld and close, pressing into faces, and the score is sparse and low, so long stretches sit in uneasy quiet broken by sudden, ugly violence that lands hard and brief. The vibe is grim, claustrophobic and deeply sad, with moments of tenderness between two lonely women that feel fragile and easily lost. Its pacing is steady and heavy, and its emotional arc follows a damaged woman whose hope and loyalty curdle into desperation. Intensity is high: sexual assault, prostitution, graphic shootings and a death-penalty thread are all present, and the violence is abrupt rather than stylised. This suits people who want a serious, unflinching character study with a strong lead performance, not a comfort watch or anything gentle.
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