Outer Monster

We watched Monster last nite and I must admit it was pretty tough to sit through. Charlese did a frawesome job with the lead and it quite possibly made the film more intriguing for me with her as the lead. I found myself constantly looking at her character, as hideous a task that was, to try and see the beautiful actress that lie underneath. I caught glimpses of her here and there, but it was never for extended periods of time.
I wondered as I stared at the set and was pelted by the language, that if I didn't know Charlese, and what a beautiful starlet that she is in real life, if the movie would have captivated me to the extent that it did.? Would I have tried as desperately to see underneath the grough and jagged exterior of Lee down into the golden Charlese that I knew existed below? Would I have been as apt to try and understand the plight of a haggard, broken prostitute, whose circumstances seemingly never gave her a chance even though they would never justify the things that she did? Would I have even given Lee any solace in the facts of her rugged life or would I have been just that much quicker to rush to her judgment, sentencing and execution? More importantly, would I even try to see underneath the veneer of this rugged life and search for anything worth redeeming?
I'm afraid of my answers. I'm even more embarrassed to admit they exist inside my being. I'm comforted only by the fact that I know of One who's got the only answers that matter. He did and would...why the hell shouldn't we?