(Review originally written at 26 September 2004)
Actually when you look closely to this movie it is nothing more than an average drama with a standard visual style and all. It are really the performance's that bring this movie to an higher level and make this movie an impressive drama.
Yes, Charlize Theron is excellent! Did she deserved that Oscar? Most definitely! But it also is Christina Ricci who should get lot's of credits for her role as lesbian girl Selby. Both actresses play a role you never expected them to play. Both gained a weight of a significant amount of pounds for their role. I have to admit that before this I never was a real big fan of Christina Ricci but this movie made me look differently at her. It was also great to see Bruce Dern again in a fairly big but quite insignificant role.
The story is told in a good way. It doesn't justify Aileen's murders but it helps you understand better what was driven her to commit these horrible murders. Normally we just read about murders in the papers or see it on the news, all we think is that those who commit these murders are horrible monsters but there is always more behind it than meets the eye and this movie shows that perfectly and emotionally.
Worth seeing if only for Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci.
9/10
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