Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Jeffrey Dahmer struggles with a difficult family life as a young boy. During his teenage years he slowly transforms, edging closer to the serial killer he was to become.
My Friend Dahmer distinguishes itself by approaching the Dahmer mythos from a rare, empathetic teenage perspective drawn from John 'Derf' Backderf's graphic memoir. Ross Lynch delivers a genuinely startling, physically committed performance that transcends his Disney origins. The film's novelty lies in its uncomfortable humanization of a future monster, refusing sensationalism in favor of quiet dread. However, the ending feels deliberately muted to the point of narrative dissatisfaction — the film essentially stops rather than concludes. The cinematography is competent and period-appropriate but unremarkable.