Monsters Ball
| Year: | 2001 |
| Director: | Marc Forster |
| Cast: | Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Mos Def |
A slow, poetic tale about a man and a woman connecting with life once again by finding each other (despite how much was made about the porny, shagadelic sex scene between Berry and Thorton).
Hank (Thornton) is a prison guard on death row along with his son Sonny (Ledger), living with his bigoted, near-invalid father (Boyle).
They execute an inmate - one Sonny badly underperforms in, and after Hank's dressing down, Sonny shoots himself dead in front of his father and gradfather.
At the same time, the executed man's wife Leticia (Berry) has to try and readjust to life without him, even more so following the death of her son in a hit and run.
Through chance and circumstance, Hank and Leticia come across each other more frequently and eventually fall in love, Hank having to reassess his views and beliefs on life, love and race.
More a meandering story than a point, like you think it'll be, it's emotional and quite beautiful with some great performances and loving camerawork.
Interesting that so much was made of the sex scene; it was nothing more (or less) than one of the most honest portrayals of sex in the movies. And for that, it garners all the controversy it did.
Hank (Thornton) is a prison guard on death row along with his son Sonny (Ledger), living with his bigoted, near-invalid father (Boyle).
They execute an inmate - one Sonny badly underperforms in, and after Hank's dressing down, Sonny shoots himself dead in front of his father and gradfather.
At the same time, the executed man's wife Leticia (Berry) has to try and readjust to life without him, even more so following the death of her son in a hit and run.
Through chance and circumstance, Hank and Leticia come across each other more frequently and eventually fall in love, Hank having to reassess his views and beliefs on life, love and race.
More a meandering story than a point, like you think it'll be, it's emotional and quite beautiful with some great performances and loving camerawork.
Interesting that so much was made of the sex scene; it was nothing more (or less) than one of the most honest portrayals of sex in the movies. And for that, it garners all the controversy it did.