À l'ombre de la haine

Take away the wrapping, remove the box and see what's really inside. A powerful drama with a strong message. Superbly acted, well scripted and directed with excellent cinematography. To delve into the plot would ruin it. Just watch it.

What are you repulsed by? Perhaps it's having sex with women of African origin inspite of the fact that you are a White male raised in a racist culture that dehmanises them. Add to this predicament, that you are a retired, widowed prison corrections officer who's only son kills himself because he feels he's failed you because he is not racist enough. Even worse, you become enligthtened enough to realise that .. you were ALWAYS wrong.

This is a brilliant story told from the rather selfish perspective of the White male. Mark Forster has directed a tour de force so intricate and psychologically honest that the story literally TELLS itself. Indeed, I'd bet this story organically spewed from souls of screenwirters Milo Addica & Will Rokos. They won't top this fete anytime soon. Such a gateway of insight only comes around once in a lifetime.

As a huge fan of David Mamet and Sam Shepard I am biased to appreciate a well balanced story, illustrated with terse dialogue, structured acting and effective filmic devices (i.e., the use of "white" paint", "black" coffee and "chocolate" ice cream in the film).

Any film student will also appreciate the poetic use of foreshadowing and irony in this film. This truly is SOLID filmaking that takes real chances with provocative subject matter.

The acting is superb more because of the Direction. To be certain: this is a Director's Film. Every aspect of Thorton's and Berry's performances is the result of very savvy Direction and attention to dramatic detail.

Kudos to Mr. Forster. I look forward his upcoming film "Neverland" with great anticipation.

After a series of hardships Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) finds himself alone in the world, with his only son committing suicide and his ever-nagging father always riding him about every little thing. Hank is a prison guard that works on death row at a maximum-security prison where his son was also a guard. While at one of his favorite diners, he comes across a waitress whose luck is no better than his own. Leticia (Halle Berry) has also recently had to deal with the death of her husband who was on Hank's watch on death row. Leticia's son passed away shortly after his father when a car hit him as he was walking home from the diner with his mom. Hank helps her out the night he died and they form an emotional relationship. Director Mark Forster did a wonderful job showing us how in every situation some good can come out and to never give up when it seems all is lost. The character choice was great, Billy Bob Thornton is a passionate actor along with Halle Berry's flare. Tragedies like these happen every day and it was good to see some of the struggles each character faced and the positive that came from this. Monster's Ball had little suspense but all of the tragedy made up for that. Seeing outside of the box is what made this movie so interesting. Hank's father was racist toward the African American race which made the plot a little more suspenseful. The interest that I had in this movie was that it showed a person's will to move on even after a life shattering experience. The story line was catchy but for me the movie started off kind of slow. Once the plot got going, it seemed to hold me in my seat and I didn't find myself wanting to leave the room. All in all, this was a good movie. I wouldn't have given it a five out of five stars, but it earned a firm three. With this, I would definitely watch this movie again.

This movie is outstanding and one of the best dramas i've ever seen.

Some might ask why, because there seems to be nothing really happening at all during the whole movie. Some say the plot is predictable and flat, and the characters too. In my opinion this is just not true. Try to tell the story in one or two lines. Most of the movies can be told in just a short summary, but this does not work for "Monster's Ball" at all. E.g. : "A prison guard falls in love with the wife of a prisoner he just executed". This is a simple tagline, but if you think of what could have happened to this basic plot with other directors, actors or script writers, the feeling of the movie goes in ten thousand different directions. But none of them matches this version. And this is, what makes "Monster's Ball" extremely outstanding.

This movie offers so many different plotlines, questions, and in-depth-characters you simply cannot describe the feeling of the movie and what is really happening here without telling every little bit of it. Yes, it's sad, and it's depressing, and it gives absolutely no answer to any problem at all (which we basically all want, while watching a movie). But in the end, despite all the drama, it's full of warmth and hope. And this is what it's all about. Just after the credits begin to appear, you sit there and think - about anything.

Technically "Monster's Ball" is nearly perfect. There is not a single scene, which could be missed and everything is at it's right place. The excellent music goes with well played characters and the timing makes the whole athmosphere so intense you cannot escape and switch off, even if you know that there will be no "great solution" at all. Some might say it's boring, and yes, you're right - but in this case "Monster's Ball" is simply not the movie you expected.

This one plays with anything we expect from a drama, and this is why most of the other dramas fail and "Monster's Ball" works. Other "so called drama" try to give us solutions, great feelings, great moments in life, and all the other rubbish. But "Monster's Ball" is so slow and intense and ignores all of the standard "drama issues" you have to think for yourselve what this is all about.

For me it's about love, hate, hope, racism, father-son/mother-son relationships, escaping from your past life, death, depressions, failures and many other things. Everything is shown and nothing is really explained. Just like life basically is - full of complex problems we create for ourselves. Some of them can be solved in one or another way, most of them we just ignore, and life still goes on, because we are able to exist with a whole universe of lies around us.

Independent filmmaking is alive and well and evident in Monster's Ball. This film had a minuscule $4 million budget, a terrific script and a director not afraid to take some risks. Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry practically donated their time they were paid so little. The result is a powerful and disturbing film that walked off with a boatload of awards, not the least of which was a best actress Oscar for Berry.

Director Marc Forster conjures a forceful presentation with stark sets, next to nothing in the way of props and other set decoration, and a non existent soundtrack. Forster does it with innovative use of the camera, sharp editing and most importantly excellent actor direction. Forster could have done better at character development and the ending is nebulous and unsatisfying, but these shortcomings can be partially forgiven for the films many assets.

This is an actors' showcase, with outstanding performances all around. Heath Ledger makes a short but intense appearance as the son that Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) despises. Ledger pumps the character full of repressed anger and disappointment, simultaneously resenting him and seeking his father's approval. Peter Boyle is despicable as Hank's bigoted and self centered father. Billy Bob Thornton delivers his best performance since `Sling Blade' with a complex character torn between his prejudices and his attraction to Leticia (Halle Berry).

Of course the big story here is Halle Berry. Berry shows once again that she is not just another pretty face. I first took serious notice of her after seeing her performance in `Introducing Dorothy Dandridge', a little seen TV movie in which she won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy. After that marvelous dramatic performance, I was surprised that she couldn't land roles any better than `Swordfish' and `X-Men', which tapped nothing more substantial than her looks.

In this film, Berry is sexy and alluring, but these are only incidental attributes. She displays a full range of emotions from vibrant elation and unbridled passion, to utter despondency. She practically rips her heart out and throws it at the camera. She can convey volumes with a single look, or come completely unglued with equal impact. Her Oscar for this performance was richly deserved and had nothing to do with her race as so many have rationalized. She just flat out won it going away. As good as Nicole Kidman was in `Moulin Rouge', it wasn't even close.

This is an excellent film that is worth seeing for the acting alone. I rated it a 9/10. It is a compelling and deeply disturbing drama that serious film lovers will surely enjoy.