Tough to put into words how this movie makes you feel.

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2005)

I just finished watching Monster and was emotionally blocked by it.
The movie is easy enough to explain. A woman who has had a terrible childhood and life of parental abuse and drugs is ready to kill herself with a gun on a rain soaked highway. She became a child prostitute at 13 in order to survive and get away from her pain.
Now an adult, life has brought her to Florida. Her childhood dream was to become a movie star or somebody rich and beautiful like the women on TV, but suddenly that dream has stopped. She feels that she has nothing left, but to spend the last $5 she "earned" before desperately ending it all.
But before she can complete her tragic deed, her prayers are answered as faith steps in. At a bar, she meets Selby, a young girl of 18 trying to deal with her coming lesbianism. As the main character, Aileen narrates her personal story up to this point. She says of their first meeting: "By the time I met Selby Wall. Sh*t all I wanted was a beer." As human beings, we are all looking for love and want to be wanted. Aileen isn't any different. She needs to raise money right away in order to be with Selby, and resumes her hooking. This time with newfound purpose the viewer can observe. However, she ends up in an unfortunate, brutal encounter with a rapist and killer. She survives by killing her attacker, but afterward the strong emotions carry her away like an ocean tide. The drama builds.
Charlize Theron's portrayal of Aileen is such that you want her to get a break somewhere; To get her life moving in the right direction. Invigorated by Selby, she wants to taste some sweet success in her life. She is happy that she met Selby, and discovered something in herself that she was lacking -- love. But try as she might, she experiences difficulties trying to get a decent job and fulfilling dreams of a normal life. Frustrated, she lets her emotions get the better of her and slips back into the darkness.
Aileen goes back to earning a living as a hooker servicing the needs and desires of men on a highway. But after her justified killing incident, she is changed forever. Aileen becomes a killer and robber trying to motivate herself by remembering the first time. This transformation is disturbing and makes the viewer squirm in their seat.
The rest of the movie focuses on Aileen and her girl friend Selby. They are happy and go on dates. The roller skating scene is sweet and memorable. As they become familiar with each other, they fight and argue. Selby's father and step mother put pressure on her to stop seeing her "prostitute" friend and go work for her father. Struggling to accept her sexuality and adulthood, Selby rebels and decides Aileen will help her discover herself. The viewer is put through a gamut of emotions putting themselves in the character's shoes and remembering the experiences they've themselves had growing up.
Aileen continues her new way to "earn" money so both could survive. They go out and have adventures, one which involves an accident in a dead man's car that Aileen has stolen. Selby make new friends and Aileen worries. They lie, cheat and hurt each other. They love and make love. The characters make you feel each moment of their lives. The killing of a good Samaritan by Aileen is poignant and very sad. Aileen doesn't want to do this killing, but knows she has to or else the victim will report her to the police. Aileen's adrenaline pumping killing spree finally catches up with her and Selby. The police have gotten a sketch of the pair (from the car accident) and both are scared of capture and worried. Selby is sent away by Aileen. It is a tearful goodbye at the bus station as they may never see each other again if one or both are captured. Aileen should ready herself to finally leave Florida, but she ends up at a bar trying to get a moment's relief from her pain. Aileen is caught by undercover police in a trap they've set, sent to jail and tried.
In the end, I wasn't sad that Aileen was sentenced to die, but was moved that something wasn't done to help her earlier. Aileen gets frustrated and bashed by events as she has been most of her life. Thus, she makes the unfortunate choice of a life of crime and evading capture. Even Aileen's last phone conversation with Selby is fraught with doubt and we see that she is indeed being set up. At the trial, we end up seeing Aileen has discovered and experienced love, but found betrayal at the same time.
Monster, based on true story, ends as a tragedy as Aileen plaintively states: "Love conquers all. Every cloud has a silver lining. Faith can move mountains. Love will always find a way. Everything happens for a reason. Where there is life, there is hope." (laughs) "Oh, well... They gotta tell you something."