Monster

Gdog bought me a couple of DVDs for Christmas. One of them was the film Monster starring Charlize Theron. I've just watched it, and I think the performance by Theron was thoroughly deserving of the Best Actress Oscar in 2004. She gained 30 lbs for the role, transforming in the process from this ravishing creature to this slightly less attractive individual.

My brother-in-law has commented that most of the favourite films listed in my Blogger Profile are violent, which is an interesting observation that Gdog can explore further when she gets her psychology degree! Monster is certainly violent, but not, I think, gratuitously so. It is essential to see something of the the brutality to which Aileen Wuornos was exposed if we are to try to understand the reasons why she did what she did. Whether she was justified in behaving as she did is open to question, but the film certainly implies that her options in life were limited.

The physical resemblance between Theron in Monster and the real Aileen Wuornos is quite impressive, but I don't think that alone is enough to explain the success of Charlize's performance. It is the total conviction with which she plays the part from the first frame of this excellent film.