11 minutes with a monster, and you'll feel his loneliness more than his horror.
Jeffrey is a short film that is based on Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer who murdered more than twenty young boys in the late 80's and early 90's. But this film explores a different side of the murderer. We get a glimpse into Jeffrey's lonely, mundane life, and the desperation he felt that lead him to committing his atrocious acts.
Acting
Rinehart's physical stillness speaks volumes—predatory and pathetic simultaneously.
Direction
Ljeti refuses exploitation, finding tension in the spaces between words.
Cinematography
Cramped framing makes Jeffrey's apartment feel like a coffin he's building himself.
Director
Nina Ljeti
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Nina Ljeti was only 22 when she made this, drawing from her own experiences of alienation as a Bosnian refugee.
Made years before Netflix's Monster, this indie short sparked debate about whether Dahmer deserved empathetic portrayal—Ljeti's answer is 'no, but he was still human.'
US
