Top 50 Actresses, #47 - Halle Berry: "Monster's Ball" (2001)

Movie Stats:
Released 2001 (USA)
American, in English
Director - Marc Forster
Stars - Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry

Plot Summary:
After a series of tragedies, racist white Death Row prison guard Hank Grotowski (Thornton) begins a relationship with Leticia Musgrove (Berry), a black woman whose husband he helped execute.

Warnings:
Heavy blue language (including racial epithets); violence; minor gore; female nudity (breasts and butt); brief male nudity (butt only); sexy times.

Bad Stuff:
The pacing in the first half of the film is good, but I think it bogs down in the second half.

Good Stuff:
The acting is phenomenal. I’m a big fan of actors who are capable of emoting. Thornton is amazing at this. You literally watch him transform from a hateful bigot into a person who is capable of kindness and compassion. Since his character isn’t inclined to say much, Thornton has to rely on facial expressions and body language to convey this. Heath Ledger, as Hank’s son Sonny, was also adept at this. The first moment he appeared on-screen, before he said a word, I thought to myself, “There’s a man suffering from serious depression.” Even Sean Combs, in a relatively small part as Lawrence Musgrove, impresses.

I like that it explored the idea that grief can change one’s life for the positive. This is rarely explored in cinema, perhaps even a little taboo, because grief is supposed to make you sad. We see a lot more depictions of grief ruining people’s lives, or at the very least ruining it for a little while before the protagonist finally gets his/her act together. This felt a lot less cliche/melodramatic.

It’s got a great soundtrack.

About the Performance:
Like the rest of the cast, Halle Berry is fantastic. I support her Oscar win. Most of her performance is understated, because she’s a woman long beat down by grief and the grind of poverty. But if you have any doubts as to her acting ability, you need only see her final scene, where she discovers something shocking. The rest of the movie, she doesn’t say a word as you watch her move through surprise, disgust, acceptance, and finally, into peace, taking life for what it is. I thought it was a powerful scene bolstered by a masterful performance.

Other performances of Berry’s that I’ve reviewed: none.

The Verdict:
I saw this when it came out in the theater. I could recall only three things about it: that I thought it was great; the famous sex scene; and Heath Ledger’s performance because he really stood out. I wasn’t so sure I would like it a second time around. I was wrong! I probably liked it even more than the first time. This is truly excellent cinema. I’d completely forgotten how sad it was. I cried through half of it. The story is full of heavy themes and the characters are complex. In the hands of less capable actors, it might not have come off as good. Luckily, they had an excellent casting director, and the result is something special.

I give it 4.5 stars.