Watch Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

Some of the most heinous crimes committed in America took place in 1989 and 1990 in Florida. These crimes targeted men and all seemed to have been committed by someone the men chose to help by offering them a ride. This, of course, turned the roads of Florida into a place of fear and dread, which was most definitely true for the men of the state. While crime and violence are not new elements, what made these crimes so frightening was the aspect that the victims didn’t seem to have any type of connection aside from being male and being on the highways. Although the country was in a state of shock over the crimes the biggest shock was yet to come; these crimes were committed by a woman. Aileen Wuornos surprised the country, if not the world, when it was discovered that she was the guilty party who had murdered seven men over the two year span of time. However, the depth of shock that the world was to feel had not yet reached its peak. While there have been other biopic films made, Nick Broomfield decided that the best way to get to the heart of the matter was to go to the source; Aileen herself. In 2003 Broomfield released his documentary: Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, to help shed some light on Aileen’s reasons for committing the crimes she did. Although Wuornos makes an interesting subject please keep in mind that she is a very disturbed person and this is clearly translated through the film. The initial reaction that one has to this subject in general is that of shock, however, the more that you learn of the subject you go through a plethora of emotional reactions. Everything from shock to outrage, to anger, to disgust, to amazement are experienced as Broomfield goes in depth with Wuornos. Wuornos tries to offer explanations into her motives behind her actions, however, it’s not difficult to recognize that she is a product of sexual, physical and even mental abuse that has left deep and scars that never healed on her. This in no way excuses her actions; in fact it becomes obvious that she has managed to twist reality, however, the scary part is that she truly believes in what she offers as her reasons. All of these factors combined have, unfortunately, produced a very disturbed, very frightening and very dangerous individual. However, her story is one that needs to be told from her perspective, which Broomfield does brilliantly.