MY FRIEND DAHMER

US, 2017, 107 minutes, Colour.
Ross Lynch, Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts, Alex Wolff, Vincent Kartheiser.
Directed by Michael Mayer.

Many of the audience will have some awareness of Jeffrey Dahmer, a notorious American serial killer who, in 1991, as the end of the film indicates, confessed to the murder of 17 men. There have been documentaries and some feature films about Dahmer himself and his serial killing. The danger always is the possibility of prurient curiosity from the audience being met by some sensationalism. While there is curiosity for the audience for this film, it is not sensationalist but, of course, given the foundation in fact, it is very disturbing.

The screenplay is based on a book by one of Jeffrey Dahmer school friends, Derf Backderf.

The setting is a town in Ohio, in Middle America, 1978. Dahmer is in high school, a loner. The opening sequence immediately sets a tone, Dahmer sitting by himself in the school bus, kids in the background playing 20 questions, suggesting issues of mysterious identity. Dahmer also looks out the window at a doctor who is jogging along the street, going to the back of the bus to watch him, the driver demanding that he sit down. Plenty of suggestions for audience reflection already.

So, this is a portrait of Dahmer over several months, culminating in his graduation from high school.

Once the audience sees the family, it is not difficult to realise that there could be quite some psychological problems which need attention. The mother (Anne Heche, not immediately recognisable) has mental problems, erratic behaviour, hectic and screaming one minute, loving the next. The father is much more quiet, reclusive in his laboratory, trying to cope and finding it more and more difficult, and an eventual divorce. There is a younger brother, David, presented ordinarily enough.

Dahmer has slightly stooped shoulders, walks in a kind of shuffle, mainly avoids people although he plays tennis and plays an instrument in the band. He avoids the school bullies. However, in some strange behaviour in the library, feigning and mercilessly mocking palsy and epileptic seizures, he is taken up by a group of the boys who think this is very funny and clever, continually urge him to repeat the performances, in the school corridors and, as a culmination to their fun, to behave in a berserk palsy fashion in the local Mall.

This does give some affirmation to Jeffrey, coming out of himself a little more, his father urging him to lift weights to improve his physique and helping to make friends. But Jeffrey is seen to have his own laboratory, a hut in the woods where he experiments with roadkill, saying that he is interested in bones and structure. His father, however, smashes his equipment and dismantles the hut.

The prom is coming up and Jeffrey invites, awkwardly and hesitantly, a young girl to go with him, though, at the dance, he is even more awkward and goes home.

He graduates, his mother and David going off to the grandparents because his father will be at the ceremony – and is present and gives him the gift of a car.

The film ends with sinister suggestions. Backderf, the author of the memoir, gives Jeffrey a lift in his car, noticing blood on his hands (the audience having seen Jeffrey with a knife and a dog). Jeffrey is menacing to his friend but resist the impulse. Finally, he offers lift to a shirtless hitchhiker on the road after deliberating as to what he should do – fade to black and information that the hitchhiker was never seen again and the further information about Dahmer’s confession.

The screenplay offers suggestions, cues, possibilities for the explanation of Dahmer’s psyche, impulses, killings.

1. Audience expectations? Audience knowledge of Jeffrey Dahmer? Reading back into this portrait him as an adolescent the subsequent history? The screenplay with suggestions, cues, explanations?

2. Ohio, 1978, the town, homes, the hut in the woods, the woods, the streets and roads, the school, the Malls, the school dance? The musical songs and score?

3. The author of the book, his life experience with Jeffrey Dahmer? Writing the book? Memories and interpretation?

4. The introduction, Jeffrey on the bus, the loner, the 20 questions and questions of identity, looking at the doctor running, going to the back of the bus, told to sit down? His home, his relationship with his mother, her hectic behaviour? His father, his work? The younger brother, David? Life at home, the tensions, the mother shouting and screaming? His refuge in the hut, the roadkill and his dissolving it in acid? The boys, asking questions, the bags and the smell? Going to the hut, his experiments? His interest in bones?

5. His background, his age, relationships, his father spending time at work, in the lab, providing the acid? His reaction to Jeffrey in the hut, the loner, smashing the equipment, destroying the hut? Expectations of his son, not to be like himself, buying the weights, Jeffrey actually using them and building himself up? His parents’ clashes, the screaming fights, the divorce, the issue of custody of the children? The issue of Jeffrey’s graduation, the mother taking David? His father present? His father giving him the car, pride in him? His mother and her mental institution background, loud, bad cooking, the meals, her moods, lying down and sulking, the divorce, missing the graduation? Jeffrey’s relationship with his brother?

6. At school, the atmosphere, the 80s, teenagers in their manner? The bullying? The boy offering Jeffries Neil Sedaka tickets and his not defending him? Jeffrey, fear, his reactions to people? Their not noticing him?

7. The laboratory, the class, the boy sketching, sitting next to Jeffrey? His sketches, their friendship? In the library? Jeffrey and his physical moaning in the library – and the encounter between his mother and the decorator with cerebral palsy? Jeffrey merciless in his mocking the man with the policy? The criticism of the librarian? His friends, Defberk, Neil, their forming their club, invitation to Jeffrey, his becoming something of their mascot, their encouraging him in his palsy and epileptic fits? The range of performances? In the school corridors? Their having fun? The effect on Jeffrey, the friendship and bonds, their being together, some affirmation in his life?

8. Background of sexuality, his looking at the men, the masturbation sequence, the boys talking about sexual activities, the interview with the doctor, his health, his being examined?

9. His playing tennis, his playing in the band? Neal and his idea to photo all the clubs and have Jeffrey in every photo? The librarian and her anger?

10. Collecting the money, daring him to perform on the Mall, the enormous carry on and people’s reactions?

11. Animals, roadkill, the dog and Jeffrey with the knife, not killing it? But later seen with blood on his hands, his saying it was paint?

12. The prom, the invitation, the girl and her reaction, the dance, his awkwardness, Neil making his apology, his eating and going home?

13. His mother and brother leaving, his graduation ceremony, the presence of his father, the gift of the car? Walking, Backderf giving him a lift, the blood, going into the house for the beer, wanting to leave, uneasy, Jeffrey with the bat?

14. The car, Jeffrey driving, the hitchhiker, shirtless, Jeffrey’s interest, going back?

15. The information about the disappearance of the hitchhiker and in 1991 Jeffrey Dahmer confessing to the murder of 17 men?

16. The value of this kind of film, touches of prurient curiosity about the life and motives of a serial killer? But some understanding of life and motivations and background?