Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Film Discussion Paper 2

You must review the following biographical film performances by the actors listed: Boys Don't Cry (Swank) and Monster (Theron) and discuss the actors' performances. Each of these performances were considered outstanding and, in most cases, the actors received nominations and awards for their in-depth research and embodiment of their role. In at least 500 words, discuss why you think these performances were given such acknowledgements and whether or not they were deserved - for posting on your blog. 

In a number of interviews Charlize Theron had stated that she was fed up of being a part of unsuccessful films so in 2003 the film ‘Monster’ could not have come at a better time. Theron’s performance was described by industry professionals as “one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema” (Reviews: Monster: 2011) and in this role she won her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Throughout the process of ‘Monster’ Theron embodied the role of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer of men, adding to the effect of her overall performance within the role. In an interview Theron said that “I knew I had to transform my body to get myself into her physical skin” (Bad-girl lookalikes: Aileen Wuornos: unknown) so she gained 30lbs, had her hair thinned and fried, shaved her eyebrows and wore prosthetic dentures; the transformation is unrecognisable. Even though a lot of the character came from the appearance there is no doubt that Theron deserved her Academy Award. During the court room scene at the end of the film you can see the character breaking down and I was unsure whether or not to feel sympathy for her or rejoice in the fact that she had been sentenced to death. This split emotion can have only been down to a strong performance and I believed throughout the film that I was watching Aileen Wuornos’ breakdown in reality.
This is exactly how I felt when watching Hilary Swank in ‘Boys Don’t Cry.’ Like Theron she won an Academy Award and her own body under-went change throughout the process. The film is a dramatization of Brandon Teena, a trans man, and when he is found out he is beaten, raped and murdered by his acquaintances. To successfully portray this role Hilary Swank shaved her head and lived as a man for a month. She too changed her weight to make her face look thinner and more defined. This method worked as I did believe that Swank was a boy who was confused about his sexuality. The film is very difficult to watch just like ‘Monster’ as both of them are based on true stories however; Swank’s performance is one of the greatest pieces of acting I have ever seen. The good thing about Swank’s performance is the fact that she does not over act the role it is done through physicalisation and the true crisis is shown through, sexual identity. This film could have gone horribly wrong and turned out to be more of a mockery than a serious and hard hitting film and that is due to Hilary Swank’s dedicated performance. Both actresses deserved their Academy Awards and both of their performances were truthful and inspirational.
                                                                                                            

Ebert, Roger (1 January 2004). "Reviews: Monster".Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
unknown. (unknown). bad girl look a likes: Aileen Wuornos. Available: http://www.themakeupgallery.info/lookalike/badgirls/monster.htm. Last accessed 11th Dec 2012.

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