Monster (2003)
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A desperate prostitute finds herself entangled in a cycle of violence and survival after a brutal encounter.
The story
In 1989, after moving to Florida, a woman named Aileen "Lee" Wuornos meets a young woman named Selby Wall in a gay bar. Despite initial hostility, the two women form an immediate bond and decide to spend time together. However, Aileen's life as a prostitute leads her into a dangerous situation when a client becomes aggressive. After a violent confrontation, Aileen is forced to make a desperate choice to protect herself. The film explores the escalating tension as Aileen and Selby attempt to build a life together while Aileen's actions begin to draw legal consequences and put their shared future at risk.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1989, Aileen "Lee" Wuornos, a prostitute in Florida, meets Selby Wall. After a violent encounter with a client, Aileen kills him and decides to stop prostitution, seeking a new life with Selby. However, financial desperation drives her back to the streets, where she begins a spree of killing clients she believes are predators. The two women attempt to live together in a motel, but Aileen's actions become increasingly violent. After a series of murders, Selby eventually flees to Ohio. Aileen is later caught by undercover officers and eventually arrested. While in jail, she is interrogated by police who use Selby as a coerced witness. Aileen admits to the murders alone, and Selby testifies against her. Aileen is convicted and executed in 2002.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Patty Jenkins
- Writers
- Patty Jenkins · writer
- Cast and characters
- Charlize Theron · Aileen Wuornos; Christina Ricci · Selby Wall
- Genres
- biographical crime drama; romance; thriller
- Themes
- survival; violence; identity; trauma
- Tone and mood
- intense; disquieting
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; crime; serial killer; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and achieved box office success, with high praise for Charlize Theron's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 81% · review count: 191; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress · Win; Silver Bear · Best Actress · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Actress in a Drama · Nomination; SAG Award · Outstanding Lead Actress · Nomination; Critics' Choice Movie Award · Best Actress · Nomination; Independent Spirit Award · Best Female Lead · Nomination; Independent Spirit Award · Best First Feature · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's budget was $1.5 million.; The film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2003.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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