Filmography | Monster (2003)
Character Aileen (also producer)
Directed ByPatty Jenkins
Written By Patty Jenkins
Cast Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Annie Corley, Lee Tergesen
Genre Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating R (for for strong violence and sexual content, and for pervasive language)
Synopsis
Monster is based on a true story; that of Aileen Wuornos, Americas most famous female serial killer. Nearing suicidal despair, Wuornos wanders into a Florida bar, where she meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a young woman sent by her parents to live with an aunt in order to “cure her homosexuality.” Wuornos—victim of a tragic, abusive upbringing—quickly falls in love, and clings to Selby like a life preserver. Unable to find a legitimate job but desperate to sustain her relationship with Selby, Wuornos continues working as a prostitute. When one of her johns turns violent, Wuornos shoots the man in self-defense; the first in her tragic string of killings. In the midst of the horrors and pathologies, first-time writer-director Patty Jenkins unearths an unlikely love story between two misfits.
Nearing suicidal despair, Wuornos wanders into a Florida bar, where she meets Selby Wall (Ricci), a young woman sent by her parents to live with an aunt in order to “cure her homosexuality.” Wuornos - victim of a tragic, abusive upbringing - quickly falls in love, and clings to Selby like a life preserver. Unable to find a legitimate job but desperate to sustain her relationship with Selby, Wuornos continues working as a prostitute. When one of her johns turns violent, Wuornos shoots the man in self-defense; the first in her tragic string of killings.
Shot in many of the actual locations where Wuornos committed her crimes between 1989-90, in its grittiness, verisimilitude, and hard - won empathy for its antihero, Monster is reminiscent of the great, iconoclastic American films of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Monster succeeds as searing social commentary, road movie, and, most profoundly, as love story. Theron’s ferocious, fully-committed work - astounding physical transformation matched by unerring psychological acuity - is sure to surprise audiences familiar with her work, and in writer-director Jenkins, Monster heralds a major new filmmaking talent.
Quotes from Charlize
"I just saw this role as a tremendous opportunity to grow. Playing Aileen was hands down the most challenging, rewarding thing I’ve ever done."
Quotes from Others on Charlize
"Theron finds not only the toughened harshness and anger, but also the damaged vulnerability, sadness and need in Wuornos, making her work here thoroughly convincing and empathetic." - David Rooney, Variety
CTC on Monster
This is the movie that got me interested in Charlize in the first place. Infact, this is probably my favorite movie of all times. There are not words to describe how much I love it and Charlize's performance - and the feelings that watching Monster awakens in me every time, although I've watched it tens of times already. If you have not seen it yet, you're missing out on so much! - Five stars out of five, Riikka
