Aileen - Life and Death of a Serial Killer Reviews

Once again, Broomfield makes a successful case from Aileen for Aileen. The film is much ado about nothing, but you can't lose the opportunity to cash the case.

Subpoenaed as a witness at a late appeal by Aileen Wuornos against her death sentence, filmmaker Nick Broomfield received a heaven-sent opportunity to improve upon his disappointing documentary The Selling of a Serial Killer. Having watched both films in close succession, the most disturbing thing about Life and Death... is Wuornos' very evident mental deterioration in the intervening years. When Broomfield first met Aileen she was angry and defiant, slightly delusional perhaps, but perfectly lucid; here, after a decade on death row, she is still angry and defiant but there are times when she can barely follow a thought to its conclusion or string a coherent sentence together. She resembles one of those caged animals that has been held in captivity too long, going round in circles, dreaming up ever more paranoid fantasies of police corruption and her own persecution. Even if you manage to convince yourself that the act of executing a person who is mentally ill is not in itself unconstitutionally cruel, dangling the hangman's noose in front of a sane person for so long that she becomes, by her own admission, "so fucking mad I can't see straight" surely is. Very depressing but utterly riveting.

As someone with a psychological interest in killers, I found this documentary most facsinating, anyone who enjoyed the film Monster and would like to see the real Aileen would find this interesting

Chilling recounting of the last days of Aileen Wuornos who clearly had gone insane in the days prior to her execution. While Broomfield is clearly into the sensation, he is able to use his skills to get some pretty interesting reactions both from the subject and those she was close to.

This 2003 film is Nick Broomfield's (Director) second Documentary on the American serial killer; Aileen Wuornos. The story begins around the time of Aileen's final death penalty appeal (that Broomfield testifies in).

I think that the film paints a clear picture that if Aileen would have lived a different life and had different experiences then the prostitution, the murders and the whole situation would never have occurred. As it is, her story is a tragic one, with equally tragic consequences.

Although the film is sound technically and does allow the viewer into areas that they (perhaps) could not go with other filmmakers, the documentary does "flit-about" and (at times) struggles to flow. It is called "Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer" and although her life was covered, I expected to have a lot more background information. The history of events leading up to the present are touched on very lightly and not covered in any great depth. I found myself getting confused between Father and Grandfather, and Mother and Grandmother. Although confusing in parts I did find it a very engaging film. It held my attention throughout and left me wanting to know more.

I must stress that certain attitudes and procedures seem a little inappropriate in the American penal system (which the film highlights). For example; whether the prisoner is of sound mind enough to be executed. Also, that in this situation, all of the assessors found Aileen mentally competent and of sound mind. At the same time the audience watch and listen while she talks about mind control and pressure in her head (while guards seen in the background try not to giggle). For anyone watching the documentary, you feel that her mental state has been on a clear and steady decline over the period we have been following her - yet she is seen as perfectly sane. I agree with Nick on this one, it does make you wonder what someone has to do to fail one of the mental health tests.

All things considered I think this is a good, thought provoking documentary. The source is a great and worthy subject but I feel it could have been delivered in a clearer, deeper presentation.

An interesting insight into the stories about this woman. Original thanks to the personal interviews with her and ultimately insightful.

These interviews are just plain eerie.

Be happy if your only encounters with such people is in movies and tv shows. Chilling and heartbreaking.

Well-done documentary, even though it didn't quite grasp my interest throughout. I believe that, had I not watched Monster, I would have been more interested. Being completely unfamiliar with the Aileen Wournos case would have made it more interesting (for me), but I do recognize its documentary value.

It is certainly an interesting documentary on a very fascinating person. The interviews with Aileen Wuernos are chilling at times. Very well researched and it is always interesting. I would recommend watching this before watching "monster".

Yet again, a documentarian insistently inserts himself into the proceedings, evidently unaware that his subject is far more interesting than his bland and banal thoughts about her.

After seeing Monster we had to see the two by Nick Broomfield. I found it troubling the way he exploited her

Excellent documentary about one of the most compelling and interesting serial killers of our time. Fascinating stuff.

This 2003 film is Nick Broomfield's (Director) second Documentary on the American serial killer; Aileen Wuornos. The story begins around the time of Aileen's final death penalty appeal (that Broomfield testifies in).

I think that the film paints a clear picture that if Aileen would have lived a different life and had different experiences then the prostitution, the murders and the whole situation would never have occurred. As it is, her story is a tragic one, with equally tragic consequences.

Although the film is sound technically and does allow the viewer into areas that they (perhaps) could not go with other filmmakers, the documentary does "flit-about" and (at times) struggles to flow. It is called "Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer" and although her life was covered, I expected to have a lot more background information. The history of events leading up to the present are touched on very lightly and not covered in any great depth. I found myself getting confused between Father and Grandfather, and Mother and Grandmother. Although confusing in parts I did find it a very engaging film. It held my attention throughout and left me wanting to know more.

I must stress that certain attitudes and procedures seem a little inappropriate in the American penal system (which the film highlights). For example; whether the prisoner is of sound mind enough to be executed. Also, that in this situation, all of the assessors found Aileen mentally competent and of sound mind. At the same time the audience watch and listen while she talks about mind control and pressure in her head (while guards seen in the background try not to giggle). For anyone watching the documentary, you feel that her mental state has been on a clear and steady decline over the period we have been following her - yet she is seen as perfectly sane. I agree with Nick on this one, it does make you wonder what someone has to do to fail one of the mental health tests.

All things considered I think this is a good, thought provoking documentary. The source is a great and worthy subject but I feel it could have been delivered in a clearer, deeper presentation.

Brilliant, even better than Selling of a Serial Killer, bringing up a lot of new interesting theories and more interview footage with Aileen.

Broomfields best work, a haunting and chilling piece.

I'm not sure who creeped me out more documenter Nick Broomfield or serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Disturbing.

viewed on 9/8/04 (Mon)

After seeing Charlize Theron's performance in MONSTER and this documentary film, I am even more convinced that she should be the one and only winner. Many may know she won because she sacrificed so much to play an ugly serial killer but not many know that her performance was in fact Aileen Wurnos came back to life.

While the movie focuses on her lesbian relationship with her lover. This documentaty reveals alot alot more about Aileen Wurnos. In fact, her lover made only a rather brief appearance.

There are many disturbing facts revealed in this documentary.

Firstly, the police officials, Aileen Wurnos' close friends and her biological mother tried to sell her story to Hollywood and the media for a huge sum and she didn't get a single cent. In fact, when her lover tried to con her into confessing her murders on a taped conversation (as portrayed in the movie), she was already negotiating deals with Hollywood!

Secondly, in one shocking interview, Aileen herself confessed that she did not kill the men in the name of self-defence! Remember in the movie, her first victim, the man who brutally assaulted her and threw Aileen on a killing spree? We see an account by Aileen herself in the court. It was captured in the director's first documentary about ten years ago. Now, in the second one, she told the director it was all bluff! The director told her the testimonial was very convincing and Aileen was slightly proud of it. In that interview, she said she wanted to come clean before being executed. Her honesty is really moving but is she telling the whole truth? Later, she denied all she said and told the director she indeed killed in self-defence!

Thirdly, Aileen was religious. She talked of coming clean by telling the whole truth before joining Christ. She read the bible in the jail. She even revealed one of her ambitions is to be a missionary, besides a fire department gal and a police woman.

Fourthly, she came from a very decent and straight family. Her father wouldn't swear in the house and even wouldn't take off his shirt when working on the lawn. Her mother (we were told later it was her stepmother) would make her have a bar of soap in her mouth if she swore. Very unfortunately, she was raped by a very old pedophile in the neighbourhood and gave birth at the age of 13. Her mother later died and her father blamed it on Aileen. Partly because she brought shame to the family. She was thrown out of the house and she had to live in the woods during winter. As she recounted all these, there was not a single tear in her eyes. All we saw was anger. The director asked Aileen to tell him her happiest moment in her life. Aileen gave a smirk and began cursing the world.

Fifthly, before she was executed she made it very clear to everyone that she wanted to reveal the corruption of the cops and the system. When the director asked her how she felt when her biological mother wanted him to apologise on her behalf, she cursed briefly and was eager again to gripe about the corruption of cops. How the cops knew from the start it was her but just wanted her to keep killing so that it would be high-profile case and they could sell the story to the media. How she knew the cops were watching her killing those men all these while but covered up everything. How the prison guards tried to torment her using sonic waves. The director said it was obvious that Aileen had some mental problems but they conducted a test and simply declared her to be mentally sound. That sealed her fate.

Lastly, as aptly put across by a newscaster, when Aileen was executed, who was happier? The families of the victims or ... Aileen herself. She many a time told the director that she wanted to be executed fast. Living in the prisons for more than a decade waiting to be executed was like living in hell. She even half-jokingly said that she viewed her execution as going onto a mother ship, like in Star Trek, and be exported to another planet. She was so tired of living that death was the only way.

The documentaty is deeply unsettling. It is obvious that the documentary is not very professionally done like many highly-acclaimed ones but it is nonetheless extremely sincere, honest, sad and disturbing.

Rating: A
Expected Rating: B+

It was interesting to see the real Aileen as opposed to Charlize, talk and interact. But it is hard to discern what the director is trying to accomplish with this doc.

An interesting yet disturbing documentary more about our political system and the effects of an abusive childhood than the actual murders committed by the infamous Aileen Wuornos.