'Monster's Ball' driven by solid acting

Harold John Behling

I'm sure a lot of people were confused when they heard the nominations for the Academy Awards this year.

If you haven't been following movies extremely closely, this year's list of nominees is bound to confuse you. These films, such as "In the Bedroom," "Gosford Park," "Mulholland Drive," "Iris," "Sexy Beast" and "Monster's Ball" are, for the most part, just now becoming accessible to the moviegoer, as local theaters start to give space to these nominated films.

"Monster's Ball" is a good example of a film that could easily have escaped your viewing but should really be seen. Nominated for Best Actress (Halle Berry) and Best Original screenplay (Milo Addica and Will Rokos), "Monster's Ball" is about a man who becomes changed by a tragic event and the woman he becomes involved with through a strange coincidence.

Hank Grotowski (played by Billy Bob Thorton) is a reserved, strict and bitterly hateful racist whose lifestyle and beliefs reflect strongly those of his father (played by Peter Boyle).

Hank works with his son at the Department of Corrections as part of the team that carries out the execution of convicts on death row. Hank's life is rigid, structured and stable, although seemingly joyless. Then a sudden event (it would be a sin to spoil this one) forces Hank to open his eyes to the consequences of his hateful and stubborn ways. Hank then decides to make a change.

This is where he crosses paths with Leticia Musgrove (Berry), a down-on-her-luck black waitress whose husband had just been put to death by the state of Georgia, under Hank's supervision.

"Monster's Ball" is composed in the realistically haunting manner that is remarkably similar to "In the Bedroom." Both movies are about everyday life characters facing traumatic circumstances and both are well-acted.

But while "In the Bedroom" is about the slow breakdown of a normal married couple, "Monster's Ball" is about the instant and sudden change in a man who seems very set in his ways.

Hank's change is abrupt and complete, but still believable. Thorton shows us a man who's been keeping a stubborn front, enforcing the bullish tough love his father showed him on his son and endorsing his father's intolerance for blacks.

But on the inside he is questioning himself. When something happens that shakes his world, he decides to completely abandon his old ways and try to start again.

"Monster's Ball" raises the question "Can we make up for the pain and suffering we've caused by helping out others?" It also arouses the bigger question "Is there redemption for those who change their ways?"

Driven by interesting circumstances and solid acting, the only thing that holds back "Monster's Ball" is its pace. Although for the most part, its slow and tedious movement does the overall feel of the film justice, making it seem to be hindered by the oppressive southern heat. Some scenes drag and overstay their welcome going for far too long after their effect has been made.

Most notable are a couple of sex scenes that are also a little bit explicit for this kind of film and end up making the act look cheap and less meaningful (unintentionally).

Also, the ending comes rather quickly and may leave some viewers dissatisfied with its resolution.

These things aside, "Monster's Ball" has a lot of value. It uses a small story to ask big questions and tackles controversial issues. It's definitely a good film to encourage a socially conscientious discussion or a good way to think yourself to sleep wondering how your life could be changed by a single event.

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Harold John Behling can be reached at: [email protected]

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