Year: 2017
Director: Marc Meyers
Country: US
Language: English
Jeffrey Dahmer (May 1960 - Nov 1994) was an American serial killer who had confessed to the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men, many underage, between 1978 and 1991. Found legally sane at the time of his trial, albeit later found to have many personality disorders, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. During his imprisonment he was left unsupervised in the showers of his prison gym; there he would be murdered by fellow inmates.
In My Friend Dahmer a young Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) struggles with high school and the slow destruction of his home life.
My Friend Dahmer was originally a graphic novel by John “Derf” Backderf, based on his own experiences as a sorta-friend of Dahmer’s in late high school. Much of the more grim aspects of Dahmer's life, such as his alcoholism and sexual fixations, are downplayed in favor of a more human aspect of the killer. Great sensitivity is given to our subject, as we see him struggle with impulses that he desperately does not want to give into.
There is something disturbingly relatable with this version of Dahmer, who is a sensitive curious child that seems to be brought down by his parents' neglect. Their constant bickering slowly drives his frustration to the surface. We pity this boy and become uncomfortable when we realize we are not just witnessing somebody going through an awkward stage in life. This being said, Lynch plays such a complex character wonderfully.
An exercise in how far we are willing to go with compassion, My Friend Damher is an exceptionally well constructed film that takes us to a place we dare not have gone before. A great psychoanalysis of one of America's creepiest killers.
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