the film 'Monster' released 2003 by patty Jankins opens with a blank screen and a non diegetic voice over of the narrator. this immediately lets the audience know that the person with the voice over is our protagonist. we then go to some footage of a young girl in front of the mirror and dressing her self as a princess we then connote that this girl could be our protagonist. this subverts to the typical protagonist of the film which is typically a male protagonist.
in this film most of the men are represented as dominant. the men is the society are taking the advantage of the women because of their dominance in the society Towards the middle of the film we see Aileen the main lead trying to get her self a job abd because of her inexperience she can't. on police man taking the advantage of being a police man and a man takes her in his car and black mails her if she doesn't do exactly as he tells her to he will arrest her. by saying that he takes advantage of her.
Mostly the film shows the men as the dominant then women, but in the beginning of the film when she goes back to her garage to get her stuff, Thomas her landlord asks for money but she says she doesn't have any he lets her off and gives her beer and a sandwich. this connotes that not every one in the society which she lives in is corrupt.
this film is an independent film so it doesn't have the typical representation of the characters. the character of Aileen is homosexual because of that she plays the strong part of the film almost like a man. she looks after Shelby and plays the roll of the provider in there relationship. her visual codes include trousers t-shirt and a shirt in top of the t-shirt. Aileen's costume suggests that she has masculine side to her. this representation subverts to the typical representation of the protagonist.
Aileen already was in a relationship with Shelby but she was going out and earning some money from prostitution. as an audience, the film puts a clear idea about how men are in the society but for Aileen that's how she makes money. after one night she got raped she started to hate men every time she went prostituting she killed the men. we denote Aileen and Shelby in a restaurant and a man tells Shelby to stop smoking Aileen violently pushes the man and leaves this we see an high and on the man. this makes him look week and vounrable. to wards the end of the film when Thomas is trying to worn her about the police she doesn't listen because she doesn't trust men any more.
