An amazing, heart-breaking film that should make us think about our justice system.

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2014)

It takes a lot to make me cry in a movie. I cried throughout this whole movie. I cried before anything sad even happened.
I first cried as Aileen was speaking about the dreams she had as a child, to be beautiful and famous, because I knew what was going to happen. This was the only part of the story that I could personally relate to (as in, it was the only part that had happened to me), but that's what made it so emotional. If all the stuff that had happened to her had happened to me, I couldn't say I'd be in any better place than she was.
There's a lot of talk about how amazing Cherize's transformation was, but I haven't seen anyone comment on how much it added to film. She talks about how she always wanted to be beautiful and famous, and knowing that it's Cherize playing her only reminds us that if her circumstance's were different she could've been. It stops people from just dismissing her as an ugly woman who never found something else to fall back on. It causes us to think. Beauty is not only innate, it, like everything else, depends on circumstance.
This is a beautifully made and acted movie. It is worth watching only for that. However, movies like this should also contribute to discussions about the dehumanization of criminals and our wanton justice system.