This week ECHG writer Adam Holtzapfel shares his thoughts on My Friend Dahmer.
This past week the highly anticipated film My Friend Dahmer hit theaters. Based on the successful graphic novel from Derf Backderf it’s sure to be on a lot of best of 2017 lists.
The film follows suit of the graphic novel by focusing on Dahmer’s life from his sophomore year to his senior year in high school. It allows the audience to see how Dahmer’s life shaped who he became. While some aspects of the book were changed, it is a chilling picture of how a monster is made.
Ross Lynch sells the part of Dahmer well as an awkward outcast who would rather spend time inebriated and alone than as one of the crowd. Alex Wolff, Tommy Nelson, and Harrison Holzer shine as the Dahmer fan club.
John “Derf” Backderf (Alex Wolff), Neil (Tommy Nelson), Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch), and Mike (Harrison Holzer) ready to pull some hi jinks.
While I enjoyed both the book and the film, I will say the graphic novel has an edge as you get Backderf’s hindsight of knowing Dahmer through those years giving it a more personal feel. Backderf had used personal interactions, interviews with Dahmer, FBI files, and more as the basis of his book.
Anyone expecting this to be a young Dahmer to the Dahmer everyone knows will be disappointed. As stated above this focuses on events in his life that got him to the man the world knows. I highly recommend checking out the book before going into the film instead of after. If you get a chance this is one to definitely catch in the theater.
(Images taken from Google)
