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How I felt about it. The obvious parallel of Monster is with Boys Don't Cry (1999). The films have much in common. Both feature a lesbian relationship between the criminal lead and the 'innocent' second lead. For both films, a Best Actress Oscar went to the criminal lead. Each film was directed by a woman who wrote (or in the case of Boys Don't Cry, co-wrote) the screenplay.
However, the quality of the films is vastly different. Boy's Don't Cry was not a good movie, however successfully it was marketed. Monster is an excellent film. One can credit the director, the screenplay, and cast; however, the depiction of the characters is also a critical distinction between the two movies.
In Boys Don't Cry, the lead was portrayed as a victim of prejudice. In Monster, our anti-hero lead is given a modicum of sympathy, but the title alone conveys the hatred that swells within her. She may have a reason to loathe the 'johns' whom she actively solicits, but with each successive killing, it becomes increasingly clear her real motive is not revenge. She wants money and transportation, to support her relationship with her lover, Selby.
The slow descendance of Lee from a vagrant prostitute to a serial killer is not the only metamorphosis within the film. Selby has a similar, if less intense transformation. Initially, she is vulnerable and sweet. Eventually, she is an accomplice, and finally, commands Lee 'to get a car' (i.e. commit another murder) to secure their getaway.
So, the movie is emotionally honest in its portrayal of the leads. And it refrains from castigating men, even those that pick up 'hitching' prostitutes. Like anyone else, they are good or bad, depending on the individual. We knew this going in, but the reminder is gratifying.
It's unlikely that Theron will win another Best Actress Oscar. So, this is the role she will be remembered for. Did she deserve it? Should the Oscar have gone instead to her makeup artist, who managed to turn the demure beauty into Jon Voight's angry sister (that's a joke, son, you're 'spose to laugh.)
More deserving is Jenkins, who after all directed and wrote the screenplay. Which includes a spectacular speech from Selby's would-be stepmom Donna (Annie Corley) that scrambles prejudice and common sense. Snippets: "She's all screwed up, and people are like that for a reason... Lots of people have bad lives and they still choose to move towards the light, otherwise we'd all be hookers and druggies... Someday, all you're gonna want is a roof over your head, even if you do have to sleep with a man to get it."
How others will see it. I found Monster nearly impossible to watch. To say it isn't for everyone is the understatement of the year. Graded solely by its entertainment value instead of its blatant quality, it might earn 17 out of 100, unless the viewer has a gleeful sadistic trait, in which case Monster may be right in all the wrong ways.