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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2004)
January S. 2Q04 • J u t o u t 43 customers give, she justifies her actions with revenge theory. “I’m not a bad person,” she tells Wall. “I’m a real gixxJ person...people like vou and me go down every single day.” And Monster is convincing enough to make you understand that. The film can he a little one-note—even Q uentin Tarantino knows when to add a quiet, thoughtful moment to a blixxl bath. And we see very little of Wuornos and Wall at home. Are they happy.’ Why won’t Wall get a job.7 But Theron, who is a prolific actress but is mostly handed the sexy girl co-star role (The Cider House Rules, The Italian Job), has found the opportunity of her lifetime in this character and will no doubt be rewarded; she’s already the frontrunner to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. She deserves it. i n American Dream with all its promises and expectations. This illusion of success only stands in Wuornos’ wav of actions that might have led her to a normal life. Minister vividlv combines these emotional dreams, desperation for love and harsh brutality, all of which you see flicker across T heron’s face— all of it uncontrollable in W uornos’ life. Minister is also about the ambiguities of justice. Wuornos’ first murder is, clearly, a matter of self- defense. Yet she cannot go to the police, who have only previously beaten and sexually abused her. The attack from her first victim seems to turn on a rage in her she tries desperately to quell. Rut to support her little American Dream, Wuornos must continue with the only thing at which she can make sufficient money and, with the realization that she deserves more than her At home in Out House Documentary chronicles lives of the developmental^ disabled b y J im R a d o sta e all know how difficult it can be to grow up gay. And when one’s gender identity is uncertain, that person must contend with an additional layer of social ignorance and discrimination. Now imagine, on top of all this, being bom developmentally disabled. Director Sevan Matossian’s Our House, which opens Jan. 16 at Holly- wcxxJ Theatre, takes the audience into an institution for developmental ly disabled people, condensing one year of their lives into a tight 83- minute documentary. The most fascinating story is that Laura personifies the conflicting distress of disability and of Laura, a 2 1-year-old who has been gender development in O ur House diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, Williams syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, 47-year-old who has been diagnosed with mild retardation and cerebral palsy but whose main obsessive compulsive disorder and autism. She affliction is alcoholism, which eventually gets has a number of problems— uncontrollable out bursts, heating and biting herself—but is him kicked out of the home. The other resi painfully aware of her condition. She frequently dent profiled is Tim S., who was bom with Down syndrome and who also breaks the rules threatens suicide, believing that all of her trou because of an addiction, landing himself in jail bles will vanish in heaven. for stealing cigarettes. Laura also undergoes an cxld gender transfor Amid all of this despair, however, Matossian mation, convincing herself that her penis was cut off at birth and demanding to be recognized as a manages to incorporate moments that are amus- boy. During an interview she shares her fantasy of ing yet not cruel; one memorable scene shows having an African American girlfriend. (But she the residents arguing with each other about who later changes her mind after seeing the film Bride is the most retarded. D ie low-budget film, although not an easy one to watch, is incredibly of Chucky and decides she’d rather lx* a witch.) Our House also introduces us to Tim W., a enlightening and ultimately hopeful. j H The M ost Men The M ost Times The M ost Popular This coffee $ better than my last relationship! KU Comer o f Sanefy B/vd. £ NE 64th 3106 NE 64th • Portland, OR 97213 Auto, Home, Life, Health & Business eph&b "Your Independent Insurance Agency " insurance 2327 east burnside 503.234.8610 coffeehouse •*- cafe Had all you can take of Storm Watch team coverage? Tired of talking to the cat? Worried that the cat's talking back? Need to get out of the house...right now? E llio tt, P ow ell, B ad en Sc B aker, Ine. M arc B a k e r D o w n to w n P o r t la n d ( 503 ) 2 27-1771 w w w .e p b b .c o m There's someone waiting to go with you. Check out the voice personal ads on page 50. Submit your own ad at www.justout.com ADVANCED LASERCLINICS the Laser Hair Removal experts 9965 S W N im bu s Ave 503 . 277.2000 Ask about our two-year no hair guarantee. Our LightSheer Laser is FDA approved. Call today to schedule your FREE consultation! le /FO C l u b P o r t l a n d WA jfxfl 303 sw 12th & Stark Portland, OR D m '— 1 clubpdx.com www.advancedlaserclinics.com
