My Friend Dahmer (2017)

This is not the Dahmer you may know. Not the infamous late part of him is what I'm trying to say. Most are aware of what this man has done and while I am generally against criminals/mass murderers/crazy individuals getting the limelight of publicity and their name known in the press, Dahmer happened a long time ago and you can't change the handling of the story in hindsight. The movie also can not change what this boy will become once he grows into an adult man.

Having said that, there is always that intrigue of watching someone and trying to figure out what made him go off the rails. Maybe just so you can tell if you see someone like him and be able to stop that from happening. But in the case of Dahmer it is a lot of things that make him the person he is. And that is what makes this movie so incredible and so powerful. The directing, the acting, framing/camera work, the editing, the script ... I don't know whom to praise more. Of course because this is not really sensational, it means it won't be for everyone. It is really slow paced and is more of a drama rather than a horror movie ... something I reckon people were expecting ...

Fmovies: Awesome film!

People who give it a 5 or less are the same people that liked the last jedi!

Super portrayal of Dhamer's upbringing. It shows that he had a very good chance of coming out normal.

My Friend Dahmer fmovies. I am writing this review to shed a light on the amazing, masterful, Oscar worthy performance of Ross Lynch. As far as I've noticed, it is his first big screen performance, and he delivers. He is definitely worthy of an award for best actor. The way he portrays the character is so realistic, that I cannot imagine him being other than this in real life, in the sense that he embodies the character brilliantly. Regarding the movie, I like movies that leave you feeling a bit confused. Am I supposed to sympathize with him? Is that what the movie was about? There is no way to feel empathy for a person who committed those horrible crimes, but if the movie made you even consider it, makes it brilliant. Eventually, I realized that I was infatuated with Ross Lynch's acting so much, that I was actually liking him as an actor in that role, but not the person he was portraying.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, My Friend Dahmer, attempts to take a new perspective on the 'serial killer' film. The source material, written by John (Derf) Backderf, provides an insight into the High School years of this his (then) friend, Jeffrey Dahmer, who is most infamous for his serial killing spree of his male lovers and also his cannibalistic tendencies. We follow Dahmer through his troubled home life, burgeoning deviant behaviour, as well as his relationships with his 'friends' (more like bullies), whom he gains through odd behaviours, such as faking fits in school.

Throughout the film there is a distinct struggle by the director (Marc Meyers) to reconcile his views of Dahmer as serial killer, with the sympathic portrayal of him by his former friend. Whether this is due to Backderf's guilt of his treatment of Dahmer, an emotion we glimpse in his character towards the end of the film, or if it is an attempt by Meyers to make a profound statement on human psychology and the latent murderer in any of us, is unclear. However, this is the film's greatest weakness in we can never be sure of its ultimate intention.

On the whole, Ross Lynch's performance of Dahmer is to be lauded; he doesn't become a stereotype at any point, unlike the rest of the cast. Alongside his performance, the ideas of objectification and identification with Dahmer are the best feature of this film. From the opening, the choice of framing of both Dahmer and others, leads to a fragmentation of the body, only giving us glimpses of eyes, legs, bodies; linking the intertwining of Dahmer's obsession of sexualisation and objectification of his future victims. The filmmaking itself is extremely interesting, with its contrasting use of shadow and light; focus and blurring of Dahmer and the choice of camera angles which often distance us from Dahmer, giving us the same predatory perspective he would later use himself.

By showing Dahmer through Backderf's perspective, it almost feels as though Backderf is trying to atone for his behaviour towards Jeff, leading to Meyers' confused direction. As a result, the film becomes dull, as events are repeated monotonously, to emphatically suggest that Dahmer's eventual behaviour was caused by his external circumstances. The film never dares to show Dahmer as murderer or explain his eventual behaviour, leaving the film on an unsatisfying conclusion. Whilst the film succeeds in examining how circumstances can affect psychology; by making Jeffrey Dahmer(!) the nicest person we encounter, the film doesn't fully demonstrate or explore the complexity and horrific, murderous nature of Dahmer.

An upcoming film that seems to be taking a similar approach to serial killer biopics is Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a film about Ted Bundy, focusing on the serial killer from his girlfriend's perspective. Oddly enough, the film stars another Disney alumni, turned serial killer actor, Zac Efron, a trend it seems to try and escape their whiter than white image from the House of Mouse. Whether this film can succeed in balancing the killer's evil deeds with a psychological approach, which tries to rationalise or explain his behaviour, therefore presenting a serial killer, not as an 'Other', but as a human, remains to be seen.

Originally I would have rated this film 7 or 8 stars but I had to bump it up to 9 because it absolutely haunted my memory after watching it.

It's the true story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in his high school days as told by his friend who created a graphic novel about the experience etc. etc. , but that is not what makes this movie great although it is a part of the reason. It's just a gut-wrenching realistic portrayal of the horror of a young man not fitting in at high school and gradually losing himself to madness.

Primarily I would have to say the screenplay is brilliantly written, but the cast is somehow weirdly perfect, young douchy-haired Disney child star Ross Lynch just proved himself an amazing actor on a par with any of the best, still surprising although it shouldn't be, there have been so many Disney Kids who have grown up to do seriously good adult stuff now.

The rest of the high school cast is great too but who stands out is Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts in the roles of the parents. This is the best acting I've seen from Anne Heche. I've always thought she was an underrated and under-utilized actress capable of more and she brings the more here, and ironically-named-Houstonian Dallas Roberts is brilliant as the awkward dad trying to cope with his weird son (you will know him from the Walking Dead).

More than anything, the soundtrack is just absolutely perfect for the subject matter.It's not your typical period-piece type of soundtrack, just throwing out the Top Ten list from that year, it has some songs that you will likely only find on dusty vinyl in some dusty Rust Belt garage. Hauntingly obscure and evocative of the time and place, it's one of my favorite soundtracks ever.

On top of everything, this movie was filmed in the actual house that the real Jeffry Dahmer grew up in. It gives me chills just re-watching it. One of the beast horror movies I have ever seen, without any of the gratuitary violence or special effects.

This is a masterfully crafted film and sure to be a cult classic many years from now.