Monster is a raw and devastating portrait of Aileen Wuornos, often labeled America’s first female serial killer, though her crimes and life story defy simple categorization. Directed by Patty Jenkins and powered by Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning transformation, the film blends lesbian romance with true-crime tragedy, asking how much a brutal world can shape a person’s destiny.
Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron), scarred by a childhood of abuse and neglect, survives through prostitution along Florida highways. Her life changes when she meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a lonely young woman who offers her the first taste of love and companionship.
Determined to support their relationship, Aileen tries to leave sex work but finds herself unemployable due to her rough manner and lack of education. Forced back onto the streets, she kills a violent client in self-defense. What begins as an act of survival turns into a cycle of killings—each blurring the line between defense, revenge, and desperation.
Despite her crimes, Aileen’s bond with Selby reveals a deep yearning for love and dignity. Yet betrayal, poverty, and systemic neglect push her toward an inevitable downfall, culminating in her arrest and eventual death sentence.
Monster Cast
Charactor
A sex worker turned killer, torn between survival, rage, and her desperate need for love.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron (North Country, Mad Max: Fury Road) delivers a career-defining performance, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her total physical and emotional immersion makes Aileen hauntingly human rather than a caricature.
A sheltered young woman who becomes Aileen’s lover and emotional anchor, but ultimately distances herself to save her own future.
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles) plays Selby with quiet vulnerability, capturing both her dependence on Aileen and her inability to handle the darkness surrounding her.
Director
Patty Jenkins
Patty Jenkins, later known for Wonder Woman (2017), made her directorial debut with Monster. She based much of the script on Wuornos’s letters and interviews, striving to humanize a figure often demonized by the media. Jenkins’s restrained yet empathetic lens ensures the film is not just about murder, but about the systemic failures that shaped Aileen’s life.
BEST SCENES
📍 First killing in self-defense: Aileen’s brutal retaliation against a sadistic client is both horrifying and cathartic.
📍 Roller-skating date: A fleeting glimpse of joy and innocence, reminding us of what Aileen longed for.
📍 The final phone call: Aileen taking the full blame to protect Selby is devastating and lingers long after the credits.
Monster Review
Review
⭐ Story (4.5/5)
The narrative is harrowing but empathetic, refusing to reduce Aileen to a “monster.” It shows her as both victim and perpetrator, shaped by trauma and circumstance.
⭐ Acting (5/5)
Charlize Theron’s performance is legendary—her physical transformation and emotional depth embody Wuornos with painful authenticity. Christina Ricci adds nuance as Selby, a naive yet complicit partner.
⭐ Chemistry (4/5)
Their relationship is desperate, messy, and at times heartbreaking. It’s not a romanticized love story, but it feels real in its fragility and imbalance.
⭐ Production (4/5)
Patty Jenkins keeps the film gritty and restrained, focusing on character and atmosphere rather than sensationalizing violence. The muted visuals mirror Aileen’s bleak world.
⭐ Ending (5/5)
The confession and execution aftermath leave a crushing impact. The film closes not with spectacle, but with a haunting sense of inevitability—tragedy disguised as justice.
💬 My Take
Watching Monster feels suffocating, because Aileen Wuornos’s life was suffocating. The film doesn’t excuse her crimes, but it forces us to confront the abuse, abandonment, and systemic neglect that made her who she was.
Charlize Theron doesn’t just act—she disappears into Wuornos. Her nervous tics, unsteady speech, bursts of rage, and desperate longing are painfully true to life. What moved me most was not the killings, but the love she tried, however brokenly, to give Selby.
This isn’t a story of a villain—it’s a tragedy of a woman who never had a chance.
Monster Information
🎖 Awards & Recognition
76th Academy Awards – Best Actress (Winner) – Charlize Theron
54th Berlin International Film Festival – Golden Bear, Main Competition (Nomination) – Patty Jenkins
61st Golden Globe Awards – Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama (Winner) – Charlize Theron