Charlize Theron won an Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards for her portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in this gritty hard-hitting drama by first-time writerdirector Patty Jenkins After a horrifically abusive childhood in Michigan Aileen known as & Lee& (Charlize Theron) is working as a prostitute on the highways of Florida with truck-drivers as her main clientele Just as she is nearing suicidal despair she meets Selby (Christina Ricci) a young woman sent to live with an aunt to &cure& her of her homosexuality The two quickly fall into an intense & dysfunctional relationship & Lee continues to work the streets to support Selby who has become her lifeline When one of her customers turns violent Lee ends up shooting him in self-defence & her string of killings begins Wuornos was finally convicted of killing six men though she claimed to have been acting in self-defence & was executed in Florida in 2003