Josh:
I understand why some people object to this film on moral grounds, and I think framing it as a tragic love story was maybe not the best way to tell Wournos’s story, but on the other hand, Theron is astonishing, and I think the film explicates some essential truths, including the sharp script’s opening, with one of the most scathing distillations of capitalism I’ve ever seen, with the five dollar bill in one hand and the gun in the other. ⏰⏰⏰⏰
Steph:
There’s no denying Charlize Theron kills it in this role (pun intended), so much so I found myself deeply sympathetic toward a serial killer, which I suppose shows how the film lets her off the hook a little—and probably says something about my empathy toward sexual assault survivors—so I mainly left the film wondering less about why she did it and more about how we still haven’t legalized sex work in this country. ⏰⏰⏰⏰
The Bare Minimum 