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Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:57
Fresh:49
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: This chilling, unsettling documentary provides an eye-opening look at both Wuornos and the American justice system.
Runtime: 89 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: Sensationalist director Nick Broomfield delivers his most personal film with this bracing, powerful sequel to 1992's AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER. Ten years after making that... Sensationalist director Nick Broomfield delivers his most personal film with this bracing, powerful sequel to 1992's AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER. Ten years after making that film, Broomfield returns to the story of America's first female serial killer, who murdered seven truck drivers over the course of 12 months in Florida, requested execution as punishment, and on October 9, 2002 was put to death. Broomfield's film shows Aileen's final appeal before her execution and identifies a whole new set of problems in reviewing her testimony. For one, Aileen contradicted her initial claim that she killed the truck drivers in self defense, stating instead that she murdered them in cold blood. Also, Broomfield realized that Aileen was potentially insane. Somehow, Florida governor Jeb Bush ignored this possibility and accepted her request for execution. After interviewing several of her closest companions, Broomfield sat down with Aileen herself for her final interview, in which she accuses law enforcement officials of knowing about her killing spree and not stopping it. While Broomfield has been criticized for being too active a participant in his films, this time it is warranted. His strong connection to Aileen turns the film into a deeply personal meditation on the life of a truly troubled individual and a scathing attack on America's corrupt justice system. [More]
Starring: Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield
Starring: Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield
Director: Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill
Director: Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill
Producer: Jo Human
Studio: Lantern Lane Entertainment
Reviews for Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer
It makes for a tabloid account, albeit a deliciously droll sidebar to The Selling Of A Serial Killer.
This is a chilling, extremely insightful documentary--not so much for what it tells us about Aileen Wuornos as for what it says about our society.
Além de investigar com maior profundidade as origens da violência de Aileen, o documentário ainda comprova a perfeição da performance de Charlize Theron em Monster.
The film stands quite chillingly as a final statement from a woman trying to fight her own commodification.
Aileen is, if anything, a scathing indictment against the death penalty and its proponents, keeping with the concept that all life is precious.
Not even Charlize Theron's lauded portrayal of the accused can compete with the captivating genuine article, whose calculated professions of remorse barely conceal her festering rage at a lifetime of mistreatment.
Though unpleasant to watch, Life and Death of a Serial Killer presents a portrait of evil, betrayal and banality that's almost impossible to take your eyes off of.
While I prefer more even-handed approaches to documentary film, there’s no denying the power of the footage, particularly that featuring [Aileen] Wuornos.
This compassionate documentary should be of strong interest to viewers of the previous Wuornos film or the current Monster.
It's clear Theron didn't so much resemble [Wuornos] as she did channel her deeply tormented soul, in a way that Broomfield never manages to do.
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