3-dimensional portrait of a serial killer

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 2004)

Despite the harsh judgment implied in the film's title - 'Monster'- Charlize Theron accomplishes the well nigh impossible task of turning a convicted serial killer into a sympathetic figure with whom we can identify and relate. Aileen Wuomos, a hooker in the 1980's, was executed in Florida in 2002 for the premeditated murders of half a dozen or so unsuspecting 'johns' with whom she came in contact.
Writer/director Patty Jenkins sees Aileen more as a victim than as a perpetrator, an individual more sinned against than sinning. We are told, from the outset, that Aileen grew up, like all of us, yearning for the good things in life: stability, love, a bit of fame, fun and fortune if they happened to come her way. Unfortunately, due to an abusive and troubled family life, she ended up selling her body at the tender age of thirteen. When we first encounter her in her 20's, Aileen is a beat up, down-on-her-luck prostitute with barely a penny to her name. Lonely and desperate for companionship, she wanders into a gay bar one night and meets up with a shy young lesbian named Selby who is, herself, just looking for someone to connect with and talk to. Though Aileen claims to be straight, she finds herself drawn to the genuine niceness and warmth emanating from Selby. A tender relationship develops between the two, with Aileen believing she has finally found a person whom she can truly love and who will reciprocate that love. Feeling herself on the road to better things, Aileen even attempts to give up prostitution and get a 'real' job, but the legit world is a far from welcoming place for an untrained, uneducated woman whose social skills leave much to be desired. Desperate to get money to support the two of them, Aileen returns to hooking. When one of her johns rapes her in the woods, Aileen shoots him dead and steals his car. The success of this endeavor leads Aileen to kill a succession of men whom she deems, for the most part, to be morally bankrupt, psychologically abusive scum. It's when Selby discovers what Aileen is up to that the real trouble begins.
Theron won an Oscar for her performance in this film, a complex piece of work that goes far beyond the surface aspects of the much-publicized changed appearance she underwent to approximate the bruised-up look of the actual Aileen. Even without the de-glamorizing makeup job, Theron is in total command of the screen from first moment to last, showing us the multi-faceted nature of this hurting, troubled woman. Christina Ricci, in a much less showy role, is equally impressive as Selby, providing an understated contrast to her far more flamboyant companion. Together, these two fine actresses explore the complexities of both their characters and the relationship between them. In a way, the film is really a love story between two lonely, troubled people who express that love in the only ways they know how. Aileen goes on a murder spree to provide 'her girl' with the comforts and necessities of life, while Selby, though at first disturbed by Aileen's homicidal tendencies, manages to come around to Aileen's way of thinking, knowing full well the grim alternative of a life lived unwanted and unloved. There's an undercurrent of macabre humor flowing through the film as we watch Aileen heading out the door to kill another victim and steal another car every time the girls run a little short on spending money.
The nice thing about 'Monster' is that we can't always sort out our feelings about these two women. They both have characteristics that we simultaneously abhor and admire. Aileen, despite the horrible acts of violence she commits, does appear to have a conscience of sorts, occasionally sparing a potential victim whom she believes doesn't 'deserve' the fate she has mapped out for him. Unlike Hannibal Lecter, Aileen does not murder out of madness, but rather out of practical necessity. This makes her both easier and harder to identify with and understand than the average serial killer. Selby, likewise, is a woman inexperienced in the ways of love who discovers that the person with whom she is trying to forge her first romantic relationship may, indeed, be a bit more than she bargained for.
'Monster,' though it isn't afraid to deal with the complexities of its characters and situations, sometimes feels a bit too one-sided in its presentation, a bit too sanitized and nonjudgmental for its own good. Maybe because Aileen's victims tend to be pretty much ethical scumbags to begin with, it becomes easy for us to detach ourselves from what we are seeing and to overlook the horrendous moral implications of the acts she's committing. Perhaps, Theron is a bit TOO successful at making her character sympathetic, of letting her off the hook a mite too easily. That, in a lot of ways, may be the single most disturbing aspect of the film  that we in the audience don't feel more anger and outrage at the things she's doing. That effect might be the result of either hidden genius or inadequate development on the part of the filmmaker. Who knows, perhaps the title of the film is actually meant to be ironic. I'll leave that up to you to decide.