Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer

"Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer" is a disturbing documentary in which no one comes out in a positive light: not the police, not the lawyers, not the judges, not the media, certainly not Aileen Wuornos and not even the filmmakers.

This documentary by Nick Broomfield is unfocused, and the filmmaker and his small crew are often part of the saga. It paints a rather grim picture, where police are more concerned about possible movie deals than arresting the right person (although they did have the right person, almost by accident), where lawyers are slime buckets even when masquerading as laid back rejects from the '60s and '70s "flower power" era, and where people who claim to be spiritual and doing "God's work" come out looking no less mercenary or self-serving than anyone else (well, except maybe the killer and the sleazy lawyer).

Filmmaker Broomfield doesn't give us nearly as many facts as you might expect - and in this case, even wish for - in a documentary of this type. Much of the film consists of him traipsing around with his small film crew, trying to convince somebody to talk to him. He seems often to miss the point, and doesn't ask the most relevant or probing questions. I never could decide, while watching this film, how much of that was on purpose, for effect, and how much was just him not doing a very good job. It does add to the overall dark impression in the film, that few people really know the truth, know what's going on, and that fewer still care...

Interesting in places, disturbing in others, downright scary if you come out of this believing this is how the criminal justice system works (or not) in this country, Broomfield's film is certainly thought provoking, if somewhat confused and lacking focus.

A person may kill out of hatred, meanness, apathy, anger, or desperation. Whatever the reason, murder can never be tolerated except as an act of self defense. But what can we say about someone who repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations, and then not once but seven takes a life, each time claiming that she had acted in self defense? As even she complains, it's all in the numbers. That she had a miserable life, with a long history of neglect and abuse, is doubted by no one. That those whom she killed were mean and loathsome toads who cared nothing for her, and would have taken her life had she not murdered them first, is also arguably true. But she kept putting herself in such situations repeatedly, anyway, and that's where her claim for self defense seems absurd.

The documentary portrays her as angry at the world, yet relentlessly addicted to bad advice from others who seek to exploit her for their own selfish reasons. First she listens to a nincompoop "Christian" lady, who convinces her that Jesus will forgive her sins if only she admits to all her crimes in court. So she does, only later to realize the stupidity of such advice. Similarly with legal representation. Going from bad to worse she listens to a worthless narcissist more interested in his own career than saving her life. For all involved, she is worth more dead than alive. Her life would end in the electric chair, while the audience would be eating popcorn and watching the Hollywood version of her story.

The deeper question, however, is how did this woman become a killer in the first place? What is it about our culture that we turn a blind eye to poverty, neglect and abuse, yet we blame those who act out their frustrations through anti-social behaviors? Given her background, why should we be surprised that she turned out as she did? Her life meant nothing to anyone until she went over the edge, and then it only meant a story to be exploited for profit by others. There are flaws in this documentary, to be sure, but a very sad story it yet remains.

Nick Broomfield, the director of 'Kurt and Courtney', offers another interesting insight to a notorious subject of a different kind. Aileen Wuornos, dubbed America's first female serial killer and a woman who killed seven men, is the topic of Broomfield's investigation. He draws attention to the circumstances surrounding the media and Hollywood deals and the characteristics of Wuornos's lawyer and a Christian woman (who adopts Aileen and becomes her spiritual mother) and exposes their agenda. Rather than give insight to the crimes itself, Broomfield reveals the sensationalism of the event, and the people involved with Aileen. This is hardly a brilliant documentary but essential viewing as we see Broomfield struggle to get his interview with Aileen where the compelling factor revolves around the circumstances of the process and people involved itself!

***1/2 out of *****!

The movie jacket claims this film is along the lines of Michael Moore's Roger and Me and Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line, I wouldn't go that far. This film uncovers the injustice Aileen received throughout her legal process, but it was lacking stylistically. The lighting was poor, unnecessary pauses distracted the viewer from the content of the interviews, and the editing could have been cleaner. Regardless of these stylistic faults, the film's subject matter carries the film, that and Wuornos's chillingly perceptive outbursts in court. This woman's story--told correctly--is a valuable lesson to Americans and brings to light the need to reform the criminal justice system, which for Aileen, was corrupt on every level.

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1993)

*** (out of 4)

Good documentary from Nick Broomfield has the filmmaker trying to secure an interview with Aileen Wuornos, the Florida woman convicted of killing seven men as she was working as a prostitute. The story became (wrongly) known as the first female serial killer but the filmmaker quickly learns that those around here supposedly looking after her best interest are actually just trying to milk money from the case. This includes her lawyer Steve Glazer as well as Arlene Pralle, the woman who adopted Wuornos soon after she was arrested. This is a pretty fascinating documentary on many levels and I do wonder if Broomfield's original intent was just to make a documentary on Wuornos and then while doing it he discovered how others were just using her to make money for themselves. While there's a quick interview with Wuornos at the end of the documentary, the main focus here is the lawyer as well as the adopted mother. Right from the start you can tell that there's something really wrong with these people and especially when they make Wuornos change her pleas simply because of coming clean to God and going home. This is just the start of things because Broomfield soon uncovers that perhaps even the police are in on this just so they could get movie deals. I really liked the way Broomfield interviewed both parties on their connections to the case and it was really fascinating that no one could see through this lawyer while all the court stuff was going on. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that Wuornos didn't get what she deserved for her crimes but at the same time those around her shouldn't have been benefiting from her case, life and eventual death.