(spoilers ahead)
I decided to check out this doc months after seeing Monster, the film adaptation with Charlize Theron in her Oscar winning turn as Aileen Wuornos (the first female serial killer in American history, and to be put on death row in Florida no less). When it was over, I wondered what Wuornos would have thought of the more recent film, or if she would've allowed it, after the media frenzy that came down on her for her crimes; she despised a little-seen TV movie about herself called Overkill. But here, on a different level of dramatic intensity than Monster, Broomfield does an even more competent and fascinating job at looking at what happened to this woman, and the people who were around her before, during, and after her trial(s). It's actually quite entertaining, with the personalities that are introduced and (sometimes) interviewed, with Wuornos' interview, as was Heston's in Bowling for Columbine, kept as the finale after a couple of mis-steps involving money, scheduling, and police interference.
A viewer, as was the case with me, might not be entirely sure that Wuornos killed those people in self defense, or the film might make their once judgment confirmed. But if the film succeeds it's because Broomfield gets the sides of the story that count, or at least a chunk of the personalities (sometimes the lack of which adds to the 'hmm' element) such as her musician lawyer Steve, 'foster mother' Arleen, the sole interview with a Florida police officer, a writer on her case, and crucial footage from the court room. Some scenes in the film lead to nowhere (i.e. a visit to a bar, which is featured more or less in Monster), and it's frustrating that Broomfield couldn't get more footage than he ended up with. However, if you find true-crime documentaries, and the cold details within, as or more absorbing that watching professional, Hollywood productions, this is a good film to look to. A-
I decided to check out this doc months after seeing Monster, the film adaptation with Charlize Theron in her Oscar winning turn as Aileen Wuornos (the first female serial killer in American history, and to be put on death row in Florida no less). When it was over, I wondered what Wuornos would have thought of the more recent film, or if she would've allowed it, after the media frenzy that came down on her for her crimes; she despised a little-seen TV movie about herself called Overkill. But here, on a different level of dramatic intensity than Monster, Broomfield does an even more competent and fascinating job at looking at what happened to this woman, and the people who were around her before, during, and after her trial(s). It's actually quite entertaining, with the personalities that are introduced and (sometimes) interviewed, with Wuornos' interview, as was Heston's in Bowling for Columbine, kept as the finale after a couple of mis-steps involving money, scheduling, and police interference.
A viewer, as was the case with me, might not be entirely sure that Wuornos killed those people in self defense, or the film might make their once judgment confirmed. But if the film succeeds it's because Broomfield gets the sides of the story that count, or at least a chunk of the personalities (sometimes the lack of which adds to the 'hmm' element) such as her musician lawyer Steve, 'foster mother' Arleen, the sole interview with a Florida police officer, a writer on her case, and crucial footage from the court room. Some scenes in the film lead to nowhere (i.e. a visit to a bar, which is featured more or less in Monster), and it's frustrating that Broomfield couldn't get more footage than he ended up with. However, if you find true-crime documentaries, and the cold details within, as or more absorbing that watching professional, Hollywood productions, this is a good film to look to. A-