Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) Dir: [various]
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A series based on such harrowing and traumatising events was always going to be highly devicive, so it came as no surprise to me that this proved to be exactly that. There are 10 episodes, each between 45 and 63 minutes, chronicling the life and horrors of the so-called Milwaukee Cannibal.
Dramatised true crime stories such as this have to be weary of fetishising or glorifying their subject matter, and this one avoids that for the most part, I think. I also want to quickly talk about the real life families of the victims, who unfortunately were allegedly not contacted concerning the series - which is hugely disappointing.
Now, on the series itself, the opening episode was incredibly intense and suspenseful, so much so that I forgot to breathe at points. The tension permeates the screen and leaves a truly terrifying sense of foreboding on the audience.
From there, we see more of the origins of Dahmer, the impact he had on those around him and the fallout from his eventual arrest. The series has been accused of perhaps glorifying Dahmer, but I disagree.
Although, there is certainly some sympathy, at least in terms of the trauma the man experienced in his youth - none of which I believe to be a form of excusing him, but rather to show how a series of unfortunate and mortifying experiences can shape a monster.
One of the key things the series did well, in my opinion, is give a lot of the focus to either the victims of Jeffrey Dahmer, or those around Dahmer. There was also a huge level of attention payed to minority groups and their stories relating to the infamous serial killer.
For example, there was an entire episode surrounding a deaf person, and featured a significant amount of sign language dialogue, which was wonderful to see.
Furthermore, a substantial amount of screentime was given to show the effect of Dahmer's murders had on ethnic minority communities, from which most of the Milwaukee Cannibal's victims mostly came.
Evan Peters embodies Dahmer scarily well, with some phenomenal body language and delivery of dialogue. His physical acting helps hugely to add to the tension of many of his scenes. He also manages to show the more emotive moments of Dahmer with subtlety that is not easy to achieve.
Another who absolutely nailed their performance was Niecy Nash, who was phenomenal. Her character and how she performed it really brought the series together nicely. Her ability to show a wide array of emotions was truly impressive to see.
Richard Jenkins also provided a really strong performance in one of the key roles - he presents the quieter moments of his character perfectly and nails just about every scene he's in. The best performer of the series in my view. There were also a couple of supporting actors who produced some excellent moments throughout the 10 episodes.
Molly Ringwald, who many will know from her iconic 80s run in films such as The Breakfast Club, might not catch the eye in terms of her performance, but if you pay attention, she actually gives a really composed and strong performance that I enjoyed thoroughly.
Rodney Burford did incredibly well as one of the series more challenging characters, but he excels, also showing some great on-screen chemistry with Peters.
Finally, I'll give mentions to Shaun Brown, Penelope Ann Miller, Michael Learned, Kieran Tamondong, Khetphet Phagnasay, Karen Melina White, Raymond Watanga and Dominic Burgess, each of whom provided good performances in their supporting roles.
Overall, there is no shying away from the fact that this will be a difficult watch for many due to the content's often explicit content and horrific nature.
However, for those that can stomach it, there is a huge amount of story, much of it surrounding the victims, which makes for interesting viewing. The necessity of such a series is questionable, but the execution was, for the most part, very well done.
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