one of the most powerful films i have ever experienced...

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2007)

I knew this was about a serial killer who killed other people. I knew that this was going to have a sad ending, which i usually don't like in films. I knew that there was going to be some pain involved in the characters lives. Yet I still watched it. A few hours later, I couldn't stop thinking about it.....
Charlize Theron is absolutely spellbounding in this role as Aileen, who killed seven men as a prostitute. Though I don't approve of anyone killing people, you can't help but feel sympathetic to Aileen, due to the troubles in her life. I often wonder why the world works sometimes, why we're born into the lives that we have. This film is about trying to find purpose, despite of who you are; whether your gay, blind or whatever life gives you. All the performances are great, and Ricci is very good as a vulnerable and sensitive lover of Aileen. The ending really has you feeling gutted inside, especially the final words shown 'Selby and Aileen never spoke again.' The film is a love story in a dark world, showing how the judgements we make are usually the worst, but we never get to know someone inside...because we never look close enough.
This isn't a film to watch if you don't want to feel overwhelmingly dead inside, but for those who do, the experience can open your eyes in many ways you couldn't imagine. Recommended absolutely!