53. MONSTER
 
United States
dir. Patty Jenkins
world premiere 2003
U.S. release 2003
 

 
Because as soon as Aileen begins narrating her scabbed childhood, the steady zoom defining her life as a strangling crush of constraints, we know the film has fully thought and felt its way into this terrorizing character. Backing away neither from horror nor understanding, Monster thrives on paradox and goes courageously toe-to-toe with everything Aileen doles out. Which is a lot.