Monster

The 2003 psychological thriller film, Monster, stars Charlize Theron in a career-defining performance that cements her status as a talented actress. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film tells the story of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer and prostitute who was executed in 2002. The movie takes creative liberties with the true events, focusing on the complexities of Aileen's personality and her plight. The film begins with Selby Wall, a young boy living with his mother, Diana Foy. Diana has just started dating Aileen Wuornos, a middle-aged woman who lives a troubled life. As Aileen and Diana's relationship unfolds, strange things begin to happen to the young boy. Diana's friends and neighbors start suspecting that she is behind the disturbing incidents. However, the child's bizarre behavior sparks an investigation that reveals shocking truths about his life and the people around him. As the story unfolds, the audience is presented with multiple perspectives: Diana, the struggling single mother trying to care for her son despite Aileen's increasingly unsettling influence; Aileen herself, whose character has been shaped by the trauma of her childhood; and Andrew, Selby's father, a man with dark secrets and who seems aware of events that the protagonist barely understands. Throughout the film, the narrative makes it difficult to discern fact from fiction. Aileen's instability and her unstable relationship with Diana make it seem as though the child's behavior might indeed stem from Diana's troubled personality. However, through a series of mysterious events and cryptic hints, it becomes apparent that the truth lies elsewhere. The crux of the story revolves around a gruesome sequence of events during which a child's life hangs in the balance. The boy witnesses several instances of violence and cruelty, seemingly at Aileen's hands. Diana tries to explain away the events, but her desperate attempts make her appear more guilt-ridden. Meanwhile, the repressed memories attributed to Andrew, who barely makes an appearance towards the end of the film, shed light on the traumatic past and the disturbing circumstances that have shaped Selby's young psyche. While the focus of the story shifts, it keeps viewers engaged. By skillfully manipulating the audience's perception of reality, the filmmakers establish multiple possibilities for the truth behind Selby's childlike awareness of abhorrent events. The ever-turbulent path that Aileen's character embarks upon contributes significantly to this twist and reveals aspects of her life that influenced her later career as an adult with a dark reputation. As the various narratives start unfolding, Jackson vividly paints a poignant struggle to make sense of a complex puzzle while delving deep into themes like loneliness, despair, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. Both Theron as the main character and Myerson as the child deliver high caliber performances that amplify the emotional depth and sorrowful reality of their characters' fragmented experiences. Unfortunately, towards the climax of the story, the pieces fall into place more neatly than initially thought. Uncovering the truth shifts responsibility significantly away from the guilt-inclined single mother, who seems to be facing challenges stemming from an unlikely sidekick rather than unsavory actions resulting from previous mistakes. In Monster, Peter Jackson executes a complex narrative through subtle narrative reveals and strong character portrayals to illustrate the twisted lives that shape the child's perspective on the darkness that has dominated and, unfortunately, possibly contributed to, the surroundings he grew in.