My Friend Dahmer (2017)

He’s one of the most despicable serial killers of all time. This is the story of his high school years. This is a high-stakes dark comedy that has the potential to be offensive and awful. Thankfully, it’s ingenious and utterly fascinating. Based on the graphic novel, young Jeffrey Dahmer is portrayed as the perpetual high school loser. Sure, he has a penchant for putting roadkill in acid and collecting the bones, but he’s just like the weird kid you always knew when you were young. One day he tries to be cool, and makes his classmates laugh by spazzing out in the hallway. Suddenly, he becomes somewhat of a pathetic legend, and he befriends a group of scummy, punk rock boys who can’t get enough of his bizarre antics. Everybody wants to be cool in high school. Apparently, even Jeffery Dahmer. Who knew that teenage heartbreak was the very thing to set off his murder spree? My Friend Dahmer doesn’t feel exploitive or insensitive. If anything, it’s a condemnation of the exploitation of the mentally ill, and the lethal consequences it always leads to. So much of this film feels uncomfortable and nasty, and really, how could you have it any other way? Ross Lynch is fantastic as Dahmer. It’s dangerous how well he manages to make us feel sympathy for this nightmarish killer. Search it out. 4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars.