Welcome one and all to part 14 of my weekly blog, The 52 In 52. The premise is simple, I have a collection of DVDs and Blu Rays that sit on my shelf gathering dust. This year my aim is to watch and review one a week. Before I begin why don't you check out last weeks post about the science fiction/horror film, Cube.
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This week I am talking about the 2017 film, My Friend Dahmer. Whilst my wife is a bit of a true crime fan I really didn't know too much about Jefferey Dahmer other than the obvious facts. Whilst I think a little light reading about Dahmer would be beneficial I don't think it's really important. Maybe leave it until after watching My Friend Dahmer. The film follows the final year or so of Dahmer's high school education where he began to make friends and make a name for himself. Dahmer's life begins to spiral out of control as he becomes increasingly obsessed with a male jogger amongst other strange activities. My Friend Dahmer is based on the hugely popular graphic novel of the same name written by a high school friend of Dahmer, John Backderf.
I wasn't really sure I was going to enjoy My Friend Dahmer but, I really did and it was mostly due to the brilliant acting throughout. Ross Lynch (The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina) is almost unrecognisable as Dahmer. Akward and weird throughout, Lynch really inhabits the roll down the way he walks and stands. He effortlessly switches from maniac to normal teenage boy in the blink of an eye. Alex Wolff (Hereditary) is brilliant in the role of Derf, a real polar opposite to Dahmer. Anne Heche is bizzare and over the top as Joyce Dahmer, always keeping the manic energy flowing and Dallas Roberts is great as the equally weird and down trodden Lionel Dahmer.
The way in which the story is told is great. Whilst I didn't feel sympathetic toward Dahmer I did feel that his home life and relationship with his parents weren't conducive to a normal upbringing. I also liked that the relationship between Dahmer and his new found friends wasn't sugar coated or fabricated to make Derf and his friends look better or hide the fact they used and exploited Dahmer. I felt, watching the film, that Dahmer was really a bystander in his own life, being forced to stand in the background.
The dialogue is sparse in the beginning of the film, allowing the audience to really appreciated the strange behaviour Dahmer is exhibiting. The film is stylised and is vibrant like it could have jumped out the pages of a comic book.
Overall I thought My Friend Dahmer was an interesting take on a pretty dark story. Ross Lynch really is the powerhouse that holds the film together. The story told is an all encompassing look into the mind of what would become one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.
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