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Monster's Ball (2001)
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Movie Review by Jesse
July 14th, 2007
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Amazingly Well-Written Drama
One of the greatest endings ever written. This film is highlighted by raw performances and a truly amazing original screenplay. This movie wouldn't work if there weren't such vulnerable characters which we could empathize with during the film. They all make some horrible decisions and they all have something terrible happen to them and for that there will be a great deal of pathos created.
Monster's Ball is also the epitome of character development; it has such strong themes and very important characters that change drastically throughout the film. I don't want to spoil anything so I can't say exactly why, but the two main characters, Leticia (Berry) and Hank (Thornton), collide at the perfect moment. They both experience a loss and are both dealing with a great amount of suffering when they meet up in what seems to be a chance encounter. However, it's through one person that these two characters meet each other and through the death of that character that a relationship forms.
The difference in Thornton's character from the beginning and the end of the film is quite a change. We first see him showing his brutal racist side that he clearly gets from his father, but it's through a loss (that affects him more than he thought it would) where he begins to discover his true identity and feelings. Thornton gives a terrific performance and holds his own against the sensational Halle Berry.
Berry's character Leticia Musgrove is not the stereotypical African-American woman that we see portrayed in many films today. Instead, the screenwriters conquer that cliché by creating the character of Leticia. Berry's performance was so believable and raw that I now slap myself for ever doubting her talents. She's a revelation and it is now justified why she won the Oscar that year.
When the movie is taken as a whole and examined, it seems that it would be about racial discrimination. It's only when you watch the film closely that you realize that it's not about the prejudices as much as it's about the ways that the characters as humans connect. In the end, it's about people in general. It's not about white people or black people, it's about all people and how they connect with each other. It also has themes of redemption and right judgment that come into play.
Personally, my favourite scene is the final scene. Hank goes to the store to buy ice cream after Leticia moves in and she stumbles upon the drawings her ex-husband drew for him. She realizes how they are both connected now, but when Hank comes back she doesn't confront the situation. It goes against all predictabilities; completely steering away from the subject is what occurs. What I would give to know what was going through Leticia's mind at that moment. It's something that I have concluded to be unexplainable (even by Leticia). The suspense and mystery of the final scene is brilliant, really, and makes for the perfect ending.
As for the director Marc Forster, I was completely satisfied. He has a great vision (that was completely evident in this film) and especially in the scenes of romance and intimacy between Hank and Leticia does his work really shine. He doesn't exploit Halle Berry's sex appeal, but instead he focuses on the pair as a couple and their need for each other. If during the sex scenes was it taken that the two were making love as a product of desire then you misinterpreted the whole scene. They are there for each other and it isn't a matter of desire or compulsion, but a matter of need. The love scene is a beautiful one if you ask me.
Overall, the film works wonderfully thanks to a terrific screenplay. The characters are some of the most interesting I've ever seen, the direction was terrific and the acting was sensational. Halle Berry gives the performance of her career.
I highly recommend this to people who are looking for a strong drama.
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