Monster's Ball

Monster's Ball (2001) is about an execution officer in Georgia. Hank lives with his father and his son; three generations have worked in the prison. After an execution he and his son fall apart. In the same period he meets a woman. She is the wife of the man who was executed, and he does not tell her. Its origin is a long struggle by its writers. Milo Addica and Will Rokos spent eight months on the screenplay in 1995. The project drew interest from major filmmakers over the years, but studios wanted a lighter ending. Director Marc Forster and producer Lee Daniels eventually greenlit it with the darker conclusion intact. Halle Berry won Best Actress at the 74th Academy Awards, the first Black woman to win in that category. The casting has a history too. Angela Bassett and Vanessa Williams were considered for Berry's role and both declined. Wes Bentley turned down the part that went to Heath Ledger. Sean Combs got his role at an audition a week before shooting began. It cost four million dollars and grossed 45 million worldwide. Roger Ebert named it the best film of 2001 and praised the performances for avoiding racial cliché. It was shot over five weeks in New Orleans in May 2001, with some scenes at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. It runs 113 minutes. Good for: heavy character drama, Halle Berry, and stories set around capital punishment. Less good for: the sex scene is long and explicit and is the most argued about part of the film. Hank's turn away from racism is fast and underbuilt. The subject is heavy and the film never lets you breathe.