Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer
| 01 November 1992 (USA)
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Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1993) is a documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield. It documents Broomfield's attempts to interview Wuornos, which involves a long process of mediation through her adopted mother Arlene Pralle and lawyer, Steve Glazer.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Actuakers

One of my all time favorites.

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BallWubba

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

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Geraldine

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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Michael_Elliott

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.

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MisterWhiplash

(spoilers ahead)I decided to check out this doc months after seeing Monster, the film adaptation with Charlize Theron in her Oscar winning turn as Aileen Wuornos (the first female serial killer in American history, and to be put on death row in Florida no less). When it was over, I wondered what Wuornos would have thought of the more recent film, or if she would've allowed it, after the media frenzy that came down on her for her crimes; she despised a little-seen TV movie about herself called Overkill. But here, on a different level of dramatic intensity than Monster, Broomfield does an even more competent and fascinating job at looking at what happened to this woman, and the people who were around her before, during, and after her trial(s). It's actually quite entertaining, with the personalities that are introduced and (sometimes) interviewed, with Wuornos' interview, as was Heston's in Bowling for Columbine, kept as the finale after a couple of mis-steps involving money, scheduling, and police interference. A viewer, as was the case with me, might not be entirely sure that Wuornos killed those people in self defense, or the film might make their once judgment confirmed. But if the film succeeds it's because Broomfield gets the sides of the story that count, or at least a chunk of the personalities (sometimes the lack of which adds to the 'hmm' element) such as her musician lawyer Steve, 'foster mother' Arleen, the sole interview with a Florida police officer, a writer on her case, and crucial footage from the court room. Some scenes in the film lead to nowhere (i.e. a visit to a bar, which is featured more or less in Monster), and it's frustrating that Broomfield couldn't get more footage than he ended up with. However, if you find true-crime documentaries, and the cold details within, as or more absorbing that watching professional, Hollywood productions, this is a good film to look to. A-

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johara333

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.

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the amorphousmachine

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 *****!

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