Monster's Ball (DVD, 2002)

Set in modern Mississippi, MONSTER'S BALL subtly examines the impact of personal loss and the transforming power of human connection. The movie begins in the state penitentiary's death row, where father-and-son prison guards Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Sonny Grotowski (Heath Ledger) administer the execution of a black death-row inmate Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), who leaves behind a wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), and son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun). When both Hank and Leticia's children subsequently die, the two grieving parents are accidentally thrust together, where they begin to find comfort and eventually a form of redemption. Employing a languid pace and minimalist dialogue, MONSTER'S BALL slowly moves forward on the strength of the cast's performances (including a supporting turn from Peter Boyle as Hank's ailing racist father, Buck) and Marc Forster's understated direction. The complex characters are allowed to develop gradually over the course of the entire movie, making the film a richly satisfying character study rather than a quick, plot-driven confection.

This movie was not a big favorite with audiences so I knew there had to be something meaningful in it that the shallow public could not see or was not able to see or perhaps refused to see.
It has one of the loveliest soundtracks I've ever heard which clings to the soul with a lingering and misty melancholy.
A movie for for those who have known suffering.
The Monster's Ball is a very bleak film yet it's also quite rare in that it's truly unpredictable.
You won't find Hollywood trappings here. This is an Indy film, thoughtful with symbolism and a profound message. This movie caused a knee jerk reaction in parts of the black community, causing calls for boycotting and some racial tension.
Simply put, a white racist death row prison guard, through a set of tragic and complex circumstances, begins to fall in love with the black wife of an inmate that he recently executed, of which she is totally unaware. Their anguished bond is the fact that they both have lost young sons.
There is some blunt sexual content, however it's mainly queasy and uncomfortably painful rather than erotic. Still, this motion picture is not intended for children.
This movie somehow captures the mood of yearning reconcillation between two devastated souls
who discover they have absolutely nowhere else left to turn, except to each other.
This is a startling "feel bad" movie that is able to say: tragedy will not be permitted to become the end of all hope. Rather it states: When you're at the end of your rope, letting go can be the best thing you can do.
Ultimately consoling in a way that seeks to unlock a warm, rainy night in your heart where abandoned innocence is finally given a chance to be regained.
Atmospheric and moody with a poetic and mystical resolution that leaves you with a mesmerizing shimmer of hope.
In the final scene, Halle Berry unlocked something deep within herself. Her eyes spoke of a suffocated bleeding which magically suspended both time and space.
"The title comes from a custom in medieval England where prisoners awaiting execution were called monsters. The night before their execution, their jailers would hold a feast known as a monster's ball as their final farewell." (Wikipedia)

I had intended to see this movie for a long time and finally bought it on a whim. If a movie is controversial for any reason I prefer seeing it myself and making my own assessment of whatever the controversial content is rather than parroting the opinion of someone else.

"Monster's Ball" got a lot of publicity because of Halle Berry's nude scene. The nudity is much more discreet than the publicity made it seem, and some of her vocabulary was more of a shock than the choreography of the nude scene, but her portrayal of the character throughout the movie is remarkable. It obviously wasn't the nude scene that earned her the Academy Award.

Looking beyond the highly publicized nudity, the film needed more backstory to show why the three generations were so dysfunctional. The hostility leading up to the suicide needed much more backstory to make it seem like more than a plot device.

Without spoiling the ending for anyone who hasn't seen it I'll also say that what is said and what is not said in the final scene makes it very easy to anticipate a sequel (if Berry had been interested in doing one).

Despite the weak spots in the story line, I'm glad I saw it and I recommend it to anyone who can handle a small amount of discreet female nudity and a significant amount of "four-letter" words and harsh racist dialogue.

If you watch movies purely for mindless entertainment, then this one is not for you - stick to action thrillers. If however you enjoy a good story well told, add this one to your library. I give little stock in that farce, know as the Academy Awards; however I have to agree with them for Halle Berry’s performance (Best Actress). The acting by all is first rate, including Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and this may be among Billy Bob Thornton’s best ever. The story is not fast paced; instead care is taken to fully develop the characters, each of whom you get to know intensely. The story is not a common one, but one of common people in an extraordinary circumstance. The dialogue is not excessively wordy, so do not leave the room, use the pause button - you don’t want to miss anything in this one.

This movie was very good. Any thing with Halle Berry is A+. She won an oscar for her performance in this film. It makes me sad when I see films with Heath Ledger in them...such a great loss for the acting community.