transformation

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2004)

I won't beat around the bush. Charlize Theron's performance in Monster is not just Oscar-worthy. It's the performance of a career and without it the movie would not have worked. Now, I don't mean to imply that the direction, or story in this film are not good - no, they are phenomenal. Still, Theron's transformation from South African model to serial killer/hooker is the uniting factor, the glue that holds it all together. The brilliance of it is transparent in every moment of the film and it must have been exhausting for Theron to disappear as completely as she did into Aileen Wuornos. Her transformation is unbelievable (in a good way): she communicates the almost entirely intangible and inexpressible need to be loved that allows us to understand Aileen's story. She does so with grace, profound subtlety, and impact that never feels overdone or trite. And on the believability of this great performance is hinged the story, that is, despite all accusations, not apologetic, feminist or damning.

Even though I know little about the actual Aileen, what strikes me about Monster is its honesty. I don't know if it's portrayal is 100% accurate on a factual level, but it is on the level where the absurdity of our existence reveals itself. It is a very sad, grim movie, as is the world it depicts. In a sense, Monster is a story about a terrifying realization of a woman not only at the bottom of what we vaguely call "the social ladder," but also at the bottom of what is accepted and tolerated - and she realizes that she will not survive by climbing to the top. Such a climb is impossible for her - there is a great scene between Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci where Theron's character attempts to explain to Ricci why she does what she does, namely, why she kills. She tries to make Ricci's character understand that the world is not as perfect as it is said to be and that not everyone has the same chances, and that not everyone is equal.
In that scene alone, the character raises some profound questions about the nature of morality, its inevitable subjectivity, and therefore, terrifyingly so, its questionable worth. Monster does not stray from this theme and try to claim that Aileen had the right answers or did the right things. It shows her relationship with Selby, her actions, and their consequences. But, in the process of doing so, it asks a lot of important and pertinent questions that are very hard to answer.