Okay movie with a strong lead performance

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2017)

Here we have the Oscar-winning "Monster", an American biopic movie from 2003 that will have its 15th anniversary next year. These 105 minutes are the most known work by writer and director Patty Jenkins, which may change when her new Wonder Woman movie will finally come out. And it is also the career-defining performance by South African actress Charlize Theron. In here, she plays Aileen Wuornos a prostitute and serial killer who had her very own way of dealing with clients. And while I am sure that a lot was added in this film for drama purposes, I am perfectly fine with it as it makes the entire film more interesting. I am honestly personally not too sure if Wuornos' life or character justify a biopic, but the way things looked here, it is okay. Was she really driven by inner demons/forces to kill these men the way it is depicted during the last killing scene? Was she really that upset by authority and rejection as we see during her job interview? Did she really hate men as much as it was depicted in here? I don't know. Only she knows ("knew" I should say) I guess. But regardless of what the true answers to these questions may be, it all works pretty well in this movie.
As for Theron, she dominated the awards season with her portrayal here and a lot of this may have to do with how she went for ugliness. Theron known as one of the most stunning women/actresses on the planet looks homely here from start to finish. So the make-up sure helped her a lot with her awards ambitions. And what also helped was the fact that Theron's character was depicted as a human being with feelings and emotions despite the horrible acts she committed on these many occasions. That final murder scene I already mentioned and also of course her relationship with Ricci's character shows that very well. Eventually, she is the one who may have been cured if her girlfriend loved her as much as she loved her too, but this was not the case. Anyway, all in all, I personally found nothing really too memorable here apart from Theron's performance and I guess many thought the same as the film received not too much recognition at awards ceremonies beyond that, for example no Best Picture or writing nominations at the Oscars. With Theron, a nomination may have been enough, but I am also okay with the win I guess, even if I'd never consider it one of the greatest Best Actress winners / female performances. From 2003 for example, it is certainly not on par with Scarlett Johansson in "Lost in Translation". That's why seeing "Monster" once is enough. But seeing it once is also very much recommended. Thumbs up. Final note: Bruce Dern is a much better actor than what he was allowed to show us here. Extremely underused.