Movie Review: Monster Starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci

This is Artistically Speaking's first ever movie review, so kindly thank JP, would you?

A prostitute, a lover, and a series of murders. This is a biographical-drama that really makes your stomach turn. Based on the true stories of a 1980's prostitute named Aileen(Theron) who was raped at a young age and finds true love, a outcast trying to be accepted for who she is, Selby(Ricci). The two meet when Aileen walks into a gay/lesbian bar in hopes of getting a drink. Selby makes a move in, and the paranoid Aileen is in attack mode. The two fall in love after a intense cinematic moment where the two confirm the attraction with a passionate kiss to the song, "Don't Stop Believing."

In the ambition to meet up later, Aileen needs money to take her on a date, and when trying to make the money, a man beats Aileen and rapes her. This reawakes Aileen's past of her childhood where she was first raped at the age of six, and was beaten by her own father for accusing his friend. Aileen escapes, and kills the man shooting him with a full round of a pistol. She then steals his clothes, and takes Selby to a hotel where the two try to live together in love, and try to make it. The two are dirt poor, and Selby eventually gets suicidal about her life on how she threw away a future for herself, and convinces herself the only way the two can make it is if Aileen goes back to hooking. In high hopes she does, and murders almost all of the people she is picked up by. Eventually it catches up with her in the end, where she kills an ex cop, and is found later. She takes all the blame and leaves Selby innocent, and is taken into prison for twelve years.
I really appreciated the acting in this movie for the first part because I really loved how intense it would get. There was emotional breakdowns that really pulled at my gut. Also, along the same note of great acting, the scenes of them all being in the car, and the first move would be made, in a disrespectful notion, you could see the heart wrench in Aileen's eyes. There is also a very uncomfortable scene of a pity sexual act, and nude scenes.
I disliked how it looked a Lifetime film, but this totally was not. The graphic actions in this was enough to earn this to never be played on TV. Other than that I'd say it was a good film.
One symbol I really liked was the song, "Don't Stop Believing" was really all there was in the song. The ambition to become something that the two always wanted....love.
I'd recommend this film for people who are very open to films, and comfortable to see some graphic sex scenes. If you are not able to handle cussing, blood, crude actions and homosexuality, this film isnt for you.

I'd give it 7/10.

I know the film is old, but I really enjoyed it.