Could be better....

Rating: 3/10 (7 March 2010)

I finally got a chance to see this film, after a very strong recommendation from one of my friends. I don't know whether there's something wrong with me, but I found Charlize Theron's character unbelievably annoying, her face expression always tense and the behaviour as well as gestures - very unnatural (does anyone really smoke cigarettes in such a way?). Generally looking at her made me uncomfortable and having seen the actual pictures of Aileen Wuornos, I think that the creators overdid it a bit with the make-up, making Theron look unnecessarily ugly. I have to say that I found Ricci's performance much more believable and convincing.
When it comes to the story, I find it rather incredible how people are quick to defend the victims and judge the Wournos as a heartless murderer.
Because of the circumstances in which she committed the murders it is impossible to say to what extent they were acts of self-defence and to what extent these were cold-blooded killings. However, one sure thing is that, whether Wournos was a heartless murderer or just a very scared, cornered and terribly lost person, she still was a product of her childhood experiences. I think that if the director wanted to present some wider picture of the protagonist and her circumstances, he definitely should have put more effort into showing what led to the "birth" of the Monster. It's rather obvious that what triggered the murders didn't happen on the night the first victim died, but years earlier. Unfortunately I had a feeling that the murderer's childhood experiences were really marginalised in the film, being reduced to just a couple of comments made by the protagonist on various occasions. But then, probably if the film showed the events from Wournos' childhood, it would be even more disturbing and possibly unwatchable. Which in its turn leads me to the following reflection - if the whole truth is too disturbing and the half-truth that the film serves is insufficient, then was this film really worth making? Was it indeed worth watching? Well, you should probably judge for yourself. Personally, I fully suspect that any of the actual documentaries made about Wournos might serve better in explaining her motives and possibly in presenting her story. The story of her life is not much of entertainment material and the film does not provide enough information to be considered substantial food for thought.