My Friend Dahmer

When I was growing up, Jeffrey Dahmer was an exceptional entity of the serial killer world. He would get mentioned in the same breath as Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, or John Wayne Gacy. He was a bad person who did horrible stuff, and that's all I knew. So, it is with that understanding that I approached "My Friend Dahmer." It is from the point of view of Dahmer as a notorious serial killer, with no details filled in, that the basis of the film makes sense. Since I finished the film, I have since educated myself on Dahmer, and it is from that vantage that I say: Why does this movie exist?

Before Jeffrey Dahmer was the Milwaukee Cannibal he was a teenager struggling to find his place in high school. Dahmer was a quiet kid that mostly kept to himself when others weren't teasing him. But where many teenagers retreat into harmless hobbies, Dahmer's were a bit darker. Secretly in his hut, Dahmer would examine dead animals before watching them dissolve in acid. But, you know, he was just like us: He was shy and had trouble making friends. Or, at least, that's what the film would like you to buy into.

The biggest difficulty with "My Friend Dahmer" is that it is attempting to make a sympathetic character out of a confessed serial killer. Ross Lynch's admittedly intriguing performance puts forth Dahmer as your typical socially awkward teen. His home life is a bit messy, although as depicted in the film not too dissimilar from your standard child of divorce. But outside of that, it's difficult to assess just what made Dahmer different. Is the point that serial killers are just like us, that the darkness hides within unnoticed? I guess that is a possibility, but as it is executed in "My Friend Dahmer" it leaves something to be desired.

Part of the problem is that Dahmer's history is fairly well-documented and a simple perusal of Wikipedia will reveal that there are plenty of important characteristics that filmmaker Marc Meyers is choosing to gloss over or not engage with at all. Dahmer's battle with alcoholism is only hinted at, and his homosexuality - and the societal rejection that accompanied it - barely a footnote. These elements were well-featured in Derf Backderf's graphic novel, upon which the film was based, so the source material has the pieces. But in the eyes of the film, the Dahmer that would become a serial killer seemingly has no reason to do so other than his parents being a bit absent. It's a dangerous and unsettling statement, but surely not in the way that it should be.

In terms of Blu-ray release, "My Friend Dahmer" is about as stripped down as possible. The release comes with no other copy of the film besides the Blu-ray disc it contains, forgoing the inclusion of a DVD or digital copy. In terms of special features, the release comes with an interview with Ross Lynch (that doesn't amount to much), theatrical trailer, and a slideshow of behind-the-scenes images (yes, a slideshow). "My Friend Dahmer" attempts to put forth a humanization of what pop culture has defined as a monster, but does so in a manner that is dangerous in its carefree attitude, and the minimal Blu-ray release doesn't make a strong case for their being much more thought behind it.

"My Friend Dahmer"
Blu-ray
$24.95
http://filmrise.com/