Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Ohmygosh.

[Cue sound of breath being taken out of me.]

I saw Monster this evening, and I can tell you right now, with my hand on the Bible I was given when I was 8 years old, that I will never, ever forget this film.

If Charlize Theron isn't awarded the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance - if soupy sentiment and "isn't she cute!" for a 13-year-old girl gives the award to Keisha Castle-Hughes for Whale Rider - I'll approach crockery-hurling levels of anger. Roger Ebert is utterly dead-on in his review when he says of Theron's performance,

"This is one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema."

I'm having immense difficulty articulating my thoughts on this astonishing first film by director/screenwriter Patty Jenkins; I'll try to write more tomorrow.