Superb Acting, Interesting Movie

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2004)

I have to say that I know nothing of the real life details of the Aileen Wuornos case (which inspired this film) so I'm just going to deal with the film itself and not talk about how accurate or not it is.
The film tells the story of Aileen Wuornos (played by Charlize Theron) and her girlfriend, Selby Wall (Christina Ricci). Wuornos comes from a hideous background of violence and abuse and now works as a prostitute. After she kills a client who tries to rape her, Wuornos goes on the run with Selby, killing and robbing to support themselves.
The film is shot in a gritty style, mostly on location. It's not really a conventional serial killer thriller. The police investigation is only barely touched upon. The viewer is with Wuornos and Selby for the whole time.
Charlize Theron is totally unrecognizable under heavy make-up as Wuornos. She turns in a truly superb performance and thoroughly merited her Oscar for her performance in this film. Christina Ricci is also excellent as the sweet but bratty Selby.
While the viewer doesn't come to like Wuornos, in the film, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for her, as much as we may hate her crimes.

The main flaw of the film is the focus is always on Wuornos and Selby. A bit more balance would have been good, particularly towards the victims.
Worth watching though. "Friday the 13th" fans may like to look out for a brief appearance by Kane Hodder (who played Jason, in a number of those films).