Went to the cinema tonight to see Monster's Ball which is the film for which Halle Berry won her Oscar and delivered a 'monster's bawl' of her own. Haven't got time for a detailed review, and to be honest it's one of those films where the less you know about the plot the better, but it's a serious, adult (in the best sense of the word) film about love, death and grief featuring the convergence in the lives through tragedy of a racist 'correctional officer' (Billy Bob Thornton) and the widow (Halle Berry, left) of a copkiller whose execution Thornton's character oversaw.

There are two sensational sex scenes between Thornton and Berry, the first graphic and cathartic, the second tender, emotional and affecting, reflecting the differing stages in their tentative relationship more eloquently than words could express. Berry impresses in a role that isn't excessively showy, but she inhabits the widow's persona with uninhibited conviction and conveys her character's grief with subtle power. It was a brave decision to award her the Oscar for such a bleak, uncompromising film, but it was almost certainly the correct one. Also showing well in small but key roles were Sean (P.Diddy) Combs as a death-row convict and Peter Boyle (criminally underused in cinema these days) as Thornton's deeply unpleasant dad.

Fair warning should be made that this is far from being the 'feelgood hit of the summer' and I probably wouldn't recommend this for anyone who was already feeling depressed, but there's enough dry humour, humanity and a belief in the restorive features of chocolate ice cream to offer a glimpse of hope amidst the grief and loss. If there is an underlying message, it seems to be that the sins of the father do not necessarily need to be inherited by the next generation. It's a valuable and meaningful message from an unusual but effective drama.

Related link: Angela Bassett claims Monster's Ball stereotypes black women. I completely disagree with this viewpoint and contrary to her accusations, Berry's character is not a prostitute in this film. Sour grapes, honey?