《Monster》　女魔头　在病态与情感间寻找平衡

No.047　《Monster》　女魔头　在病态与情感间寻找平衡

英文导读

Monster is a 2003 crime drama film about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute who was executed in Florida in 2002 for killing six men (she was not tried for a seventh murder) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wuornos was played by Charlize Theron, and her fictionalized lover, Selby Wall (based on Wuornos' reallife companion Tyria Moore), was played by Christina Ricci. The film was written and directed by Patty Jenkins.

Model-turned-actress Charlize Theron leaves her glamorous image behind for this gritty drama, in which she plays a disturbed prostitute who becomes a serial killer. Aileen Wuornos (Theron) was a woman who survived a brutal and abusive childhood in Michigan to become a thick-skinned but emotionally damaged adult. Homeless most of her life, Wuornos subsisted by working as a street prostitute; later, when she was in Florida, down to her last five dollars and pondering suicide, she stopped into a bar for a beer. There, Aileen met Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a woman in her early twenties who had been sent to live with relatives after her Christian parents became aware of her lesbian lifestyle. Selby is immediately attracted to Aileen, and while Aileen tells Selby she's never been in a lesbian relationship, she soon finds herself equally infatuated with her. Selby runs away from her family and moves into a cheap hotel with Aileen, who initially pays the bills by hooking. However, as their money runs low and Aileen finds herself unable to land a regular job, tensions mount between the two. One night, after a john attacks her, Aileen pulls a gun and kills the man. Although her first murder can be categorized as self-defense, Aileen's loathing for the men who pay her for sex becomes so extreme that she begins killing her customers regardless of their behavior. Meanwhile, Selby slowly becomes aware of the full extent of her lover's instability and the bloody consequences of her actions. Monster was inspired by the true story of Aileen Wuornos, whose life and death was chronicled in two documentaries by filmmaker Nick Broomfield, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, and Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer.

Film critics praised Monster; most gave overwhelmingly high praise to Theron's performance as an unattractive, mentally ill woman - Wuornos had antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds and wore prosthetic teeth. Critics called her performance, and her makeup, a "transformation". Film critic Roger Ebert named it best film of the year, and wrote "What Charlize Theron achieves in Patty Jenkins'. 'Monster' isn't a performance but an embodiment... It is one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema.

The film won Theron the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and the SAG Award. In 2009, Roger Ebert named it one of the best films of the decade.

获奖情况

2004年第76届奥斯卡：最佳女主角奖。

影片信息

导演：派蒂·杰金斯

编剧：派蒂·杰金斯

主演：查理兹·塞隆、克里斯蒂娜·里奇、布鲁斯·邓恩、李·特格森

类型：剧情、传记、犯罪

制片国家（地区）：美国、德国

上映日期：2003-12-17（美国）

片长：109分钟

又名：《美丽女狼》《煞女》

剧情简介

沃诺斯（查理兹·塞隆　饰）童年的不幸把她推向了罪孽深重的人生。她的母亲离她而去，等待她的是无休止的谩骂和虐打。她曾经幻想过要成为闪闪发光的明星或者得到真爱，但白马王子一直不肯来拯救她。沃诺斯为了满足毒瘾和生计，从13岁起开始出卖自己的身体。她在公路上为司机们提供低级的性服务，无望的生活无穷无尽。然而，年轻女孩西尔比（克里斯蒂娜·里奇　饰）的出现让她心中有了亮光，两人开始了一段恋情，住在一起。

西尔比对于金钱的需求很大，这使得沃诺斯心甘情愿为爱人奔波赚钱。她去面试了好几份工作，却因为知识的匮乏和粗鲁的男性化性格而被拒之门外。她只能重操旧业，在公路上遇见了一个变态的嫖客，一怒之下把他杀死，夺走了他的钱和车。从此，沃诺斯开始频频犯罪，成为公路上心狠手辣的女魔头。年轻无知的西尔比不断向沃诺斯要求更多东西，而沃诺斯自己心中的某个束缚也似乎在一刹那间被猛地折断，她开始频繁地杀人，对象从年轻的男孩到温和的家居男人，再到便装的警察，凶暴残忍……

制作花絮

为扮演西尔比，克里斯蒂娜·里奇增重5千克。

在创作影片剧本期间，派蒂·杰金斯被查理兹·塞隆在《魔鬼代言人》中的表演所打动，随即认定塞隆是扮演沃诺斯的理想人选。

重点学习

Selby runs away from her family and moves into a cheap hotel with Aileen

Run away from是英语中的一个固定搭配，在文中是“逃跑，逃离；从…逃出”的意思，比如：I saw a few prisoners run away from the prison. （我看见几个囚犯越狱跑掉了。）它还能表达“回避（不愉快的事）；逃避（责任等）”的意思，比如：They tried their best to run away from controversial issues.（他们尽力避开有争议的问题。）

As their money runs low

Run low是英语中一个固定短语，在文中是“减少；短缺；将要耗尽”的意思，比如：The supplies of sugar have been running low, causing a rise in the price.（糖的供应日渐短缺，从而引起价格的上涨。）

单词时间

fictionalize[ˈfikʃənəlaiz] vt. 使小说化；把…编成小说

glamorous[ˈɡlæmərəs] adj. 迷人的，富有魅力的

gritty[ˈɡriti] adj. 坚韧不拔的；有砂砾的；多沙的；像砂的

abusive[əˈbju:siv] adj. 辱骂的；滥用的；虐待的

thick-skinned[ˈθikskind] adj. 厚脸皮的，不知羞耻的；麻木不仁的

subsist[səbˈsist] vi. 存在；维持生活

infatuate[inˈfætjueit] vt. 使糊涂；使冲昏头脑；使迷恋

self-defense[ˌselfdiˈfens] n. 自卫；正当防卫；自卫权

bloody[ˈblʌdi] adj. 血腥的；非常的；嗜杀的，残忍的；血色的

mentally[ˈmentəli] adv. 精神上，智力上；心理上

antisocial[ˌæntiˈsəuʃəl] adj. 反社会的；扰乱社会的；不爱交际的

borderline[ˈbɔ:dəlain] adj. 边界的；暧昧的

prosthetic[prɔsˈθetik] adj. [医]假体的；[化]非朊基的

embodiment[imˈbɔdimənt] n. 体现；化身；具体化