MOVIE REVIEW – “Monster’s Ball” 

Allegorical Tale about How to be Happy

Rating: 8 out of 10

 

WARNING:  the following review gives away pretty much EVERYTHING that happens in the film.  So don’t read it if you intend to see the film.   

 

What is “Monster’s Ball” about?  It’s about a cold-blooded killer on death row, tragic suicide in a dysfunctional family, racial bigotry, a fatal car accident involving an innocent child, interracial romance in the Deep South, and more.  Wow, heavy stuff! 

 

In fact, “Monster’s Ball” is anything but heavy, and each major episode in this film has surreal, dreamy quality about it.  A death row convict, played well by Sean Combs, behaves like a calm, normal guy.  Billy Bob Thornton character’s son commits suicide, but it is a strange scene because it happens suddenly and apparently without any reason.  Halle Berry character’s son dies in a car accident, but we actually don’t see the event take place.  Billy Bob Thornton character’s racist father, who looks domineering in the beginning, is revealed to be powerless at the end.  Billy Bob Thornton character quits his job and buys a gas station like there is nothing to it, although those are major decisions.  In all, unlike in a typical drama, no big event in the film appears to have a dominating, lasting impact on characters.  It’s almost like none of the events are real. 

 

Although subject matters are heavy, some scenes are incredibly comedic, adding to light, surreal atmosphere of the film.  The scene Halle Berry makes her first appearance at the state prison is one example.  She looks painfully thin, and she shows up with a very obese kid (who plays her son).  My guess is that the director meant for them to resemble C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars.”

 

Another surreal thing about this film is that it is very hard to pin down when “Monster’s Ball” takes place.  Atmosphere-wise, this film has a distinctive 70’s feel.  But during the 70’s, there was a moratorium on carrying out death penalty.  Halle Berry dresses and talks like she lives  today (she says “my bad”), but no one in the film carries cell phones or has a PC.  In other words, it appears as if “Monster” takes place in some sort of timeless, fantasy land.     

 

So, as far as I can tell, “Monster’s Ball” is an allegorical tale masquerading as a heavy human drama.  It’s not about racism or heavy stuff like that, but it is just trying to impart few simple lessons, such as……

 

a) CLEARNING UP IS GOOD: We see Billy Bob Thornton cleaning up, fixing things, organizing places throughout the film.        

    

b) EATING SWEETS BRINGS YOU SOLACE: No one in this film seems to eat.  Except candies and ice cream.   

   

c) but most of all, JUST DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO: Billy Bob Thornton character, despite everything, appears to attain some happiness in the end.  He does so not by being some sort of hero, or by doing some noble deeds.  But he does what he can, and he is not afraid to make tough decisions.  He takes charge of his life by doing what he has to do.  Life’s tragic events will not completely set you back when you go on living, is what the film seems to be insisting. 

 

Now, I might be wrong about what “Monster’s Ball” is trying to tell us.  But this film is so rich in contents that it enables us to have a lengthy debate as to what it actually means.  In that respect, “Monster” is like a recent David Lunch masterpiece “Mulholland Drive,” and it is a rewarding experience to watch a film like this.

 

Few words about Halle Berry’s Oscar-winning performance: the word “nuance” is not in her vocabulary, and she just gives it her all at each scene.  In other films, her performance may appear to be overkill.  But in this film, where just about everything appears surreal, her performance was in fact effective. 

 

 

4/1/2002