Some spoilers.
If this were the usual Hollywood production, then this film would revolve around one central point: if, when and how Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry) finds out that Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton) was the man who strapped her husband to the electric chair. Instead, this movie handles this question in a surprisingly mature way, avoiding cheap drama in favour of sticking to the characters and their needs. I was very impressed by the final development of the movie in that aspect. I have heard some people complain about the 180 degree change of Hank Grotowski in the short amount of time elapsed in the film; those people were clearly not paying attention. The journey, so to speak, from racist to human being is considerably shorter than what some might believe. This is made obvious from the beginning, when Hank uses the rifle to scare the black kids away, and afterwards in the confrontation with their father: He acts as an automaton, remote-controlled by his father, repeating over and over the same line because he does not only have no real arguments, he doesn't have the necessary deep-seated hatred, either. The scene in the prison bathroom on the other hand is just redirected anger at what he perceives as the weakest link in that environment.
On a similar note, and considering the stellar performance of Halle Berry, it is insulting to imply that Leticia gets over the death of both her husband and her son in too short a time. Halle's portrayal of Leticia makes the underlying fragility and open wounds palpable at all times.
One of the strongest scenes goes to Heath Ledger, though. All by himself, in the prison's bathroom, his face shows the whole plethora of emotions that runs through Sonny in this instant. A great acting achievement.
Last but not least, there's the argument about the film's authenticity. And, frankly, I don?t care whether this movie reflects reality in the southern US of A. What makes a story true is not its connection to The World As We Know It, but its capacity to create a reality that holds up under scrutiny in its own universe, with characters who belong to and interact in a coherent and engaging way with that environment. Monster's Ball is all that; its emotional impact would have been no less had it been set on Mars, in the year 1600. So get over it.
If this were the usual Hollywood production, then this film would revolve around one central point: if, when and how Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry) finds out that Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton) was the man who strapped her husband to the electric chair. Instead, this movie handles this question in a surprisingly mature way, avoiding cheap drama in favour of sticking to the characters and their needs. I was very impressed by the final development of the movie in that aspect. I have heard some people complain about the 180 degree change of Hank Grotowski in the short amount of time elapsed in the film; those people were clearly not paying attention. The journey, so to speak, from racist to human being is considerably shorter than what some might believe. This is made obvious from the beginning, when Hank uses the rifle to scare the black kids away, and afterwards in the confrontation with their father: He acts as an automaton, remote-controlled by his father, repeating over and over the same line because he does not only have no real arguments, he doesn't have the necessary deep-seated hatred, either. The scene in the prison bathroom on the other hand is just redirected anger at what he perceives as the weakest link in that environment.
On a similar note, and considering the stellar performance of Halle Berry, it is insulting to imply that Leticia gets over the death of both her husband and her son in too short a time. Halle's portrayal of Leticia makes the underlying fragility and open wounds palpable at all times.
One of the strongest scenes goes to Heath Ledger, though. All by himself, in the prison's bathroom, his face shows the whole plethora of emotions that runs through Sonny in this instant. A great acting achievement.
Last but not least, there's the argument about the film's authenticity. And, frankly, I don?t care whether this movie reflects reality in the southern US of A. What makes a story true is not its connection to The World As We Know It, but its capacity to create a reality that holds up under scrutiny in its own universe, with characters who belong to and interact in a coherent and engaging way with that environment. Monster's Ball is all that; its emotional impact would have been no less had it been set on Mars, in the year 1600. So get over it.