HistoryDramaCrime

My Friend Dahmer

- Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. This is the story before that story.

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.

Release Date : 2017-11-03

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Ibid FilmworksAperture EntertainmentAttic Light Films

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Jeffrey Dahmer

Original Name : Ross Lynch

Gender : Male

Character Name : John 'Derf' Backderf

Original Name : Alex Wolff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joyce Dahmer

Original Name : Anne Heche

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lionel Dahmer

Original Name : Dallas Roberts

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dave Dahmer

Original Name : Liam Koeth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carol Backderf

Original Name : Nancy Telzerow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Neil

Original Name : Tommy Nelson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mike

Original Name : Harrison Holzer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Melody

Original Name : Brigid Naughton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Moose

Original Name : Cameron McKendry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Penny

Original Name : Katie Stottlemire

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bossy

Original Name : Brady M.K. Dunn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gooch

Original Name : Jake Ingrassia

Gender : Male

Character Name : Shorty

Original Name : Michael Ryan Boehm

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bully Jock

Original Name : Ben Zgorecki

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charlie Smith

Original Name : Dontez James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lloyd Figg

Original Name : Miles Robbins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lisa Watkins

Original Name : Gabriela Novogratz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oliver Zlatka

Original Name : Jack DeVillers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steven Hicks

Original Name : Dave Sorboro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Snarky Slacker

Original Name : Joey Prines

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ms Bowles

Original Name : Kris Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr Burlman

Original Name : Adam Kroloff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr Fedele

Original Name : Christopher Mele

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr Hicks

Original Name : Joey Vee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr Lapolla

Original Name : Tom Lepera

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr Matthews

Original Name : Vincent Kartheiser

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs Woodard

Original Name : Maryanne Nagel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bridget

Original Name : Sydney Meyer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aide

Original Name : Lauren Rhodes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vice President Walter Mondale

Original Name : Tom Luce

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grocery Store Manager

Original Name : Carmen Gangale

Gender : Male

Character Name : Restaurant Manager

Original Name : Shane Patrick O'Neill

Gender : Male

Character Name : Market Shopper

Original Name : Joe Fishel

Gender : Male

Character Name : English Teacher

Original Name : Andrew Gorell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Musical Director

Original Name : Susan Bennett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prom Photographer

Original Name : Nicholas Hulstine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Freshman Boy

Original Name : Zachary Davis Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Freshman Girl

Original Name : Lily Kozub

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bus Student 1 (uncredited)

Original Name : Clayton Frank

Gender : Male

Reviews

Stephen Campbell

@Bertaut

2021-06-23

**_Tonally flawless, but narratively weak_** > _The killing was just a means to an end. That was the least satisfactory part. I didn't enjoy doing that. That's why I tried to create living zombies with uric acid and the drill, but it never worked. No, the killing wasn't the objective. I just wanted to have the person under my complete control, to do with as I wanted. It's not easy to say that, but that's what the motive was._ - Jeffrey Dahmer; speaking to Stone Phillips; _Dateline NBC_ (March 8, 1994) Taking place over the course of Jeffrey Dahmer's last year in high school, and culminating with the fateful meeting between Dahmer (Ross Lynch) and Steven Hicks (Dave Sorboro), writer/director Marc Meyers's _My Friend Dahmer_ is based on the 2012 graphic novel by Derf Backderf (played in the film by Alex Wolff), who attended the same school as Dahmer, and formed a pseudo-friendship with him. The film is tonally brilliant, coming across like _The Breakfast Club_ (1985) directed by David Fincher, perfectly capturing 80s tackiness. Narratively, however, it's extremely plodding, and could easily have been trimmed by 20 minutes. It's also difficult to see what Meyers was trying to achieve; other than a couple of brief moments, we're never given any real access to Dahmer's interiority, so he remains an enigma, always at arm's length (which could have been the point). But is Meyers asking us to feel sympathy for Dahmer because he had a difficult adolescence, came from a broken home, couldn't make friends in school; to quote that great line from Michael Mann's _Manhunter_ (1986), > _my heart bleeds for him, as a child. Someone took a kid and manufactured a monster. At the same time, as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to pursue trivial fantasies. As an adult, someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks._ Or is this simply a character study (if we didn't know it was about Dahmer, it could be any number of examinations of high school awkwardness)? The lack of clarity regarding the film's theme is compounded by the scenes where it looks as if Dahmer is about to murder someone, only to stop at the last second. This is an especially strange way to generate tension, insofar as we already know his first murder was Hicks. Also, if the film is actually trying to say something of societal worth regarding serial killers, directionless youth, nature vs. nurture etc, trying to draw an audience into the narrative with the prospect of murder probably isn't the way to go about it. The film also fails to really get into the issues of Dahmer's sexuality, and his confusion and frustration about being gay. It's worth a look, and Lynch's performance is quite something, but if you're already familiar with Dahmer's story, you won't find much insight here.