Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer was directed by Nick Broomfield in 2003, and tells the life story of Aileen Wuornos. The film begins by showing how Aileen was sentenced and what for, then proceeding to show how she was brought up, occasionally alternating to present day interviews with her, using archive footage also to show her trials at court.
The film is in reflexive mode, since it occasionally reflects on its purpose as a documentary . The director inserts himself into the film a lot, almost forming relationships with certain characters and even speaking in court at one point. This goes much further than most filmmakers would involve themselves in their films, which puts the film into reflexive mode. Broomfield is certainly a character in this film, usually getting involved in the course of events to a point where he influences them. But is it reflexive mode since it occasionally reflects on the fact that the film is a documentary, often referencing past films made by Broomfield (The Selling Of A Serial Killer, Nick Broomfield, 1982), and also Broomfield being a participant in the course of events in the film.
I personally enjoyed the film. I feel it did a good job of showing how Aileen had been brought up, and what her personal and often disturbing thought process was. It provided interesting insight into a serial killer’s psyche and their motives, not focusing so much on their actions but the reasons for them and the consequences for them. Though the narrative was a bit incoherent at times, I still understood the whole picture, and feel like I learned about the life and death of a serial killer. I rate Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer 4 and a half stars!
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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