By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis | Anna Farris | James Duval | Jeremy Sisto
Country: united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0303361
Michael says: “Here’s a fun film for horror fans. This little indie has a brief one week run in Boston in June, but is already available on DVD at your local video store. If you’re a fan of the horror genre, MAY is a real winner, and others will probably enjoy it as well. While certainly there are some unsettling scenes, there’s nothing too graphic.
“May (Angela Bettis) is a gawky, friendless young woman who suffers from a lazy eye, and lack of self-confidence thanks to a mother who I kept hoping would return in the film, after her flashback introductions, to meet a grisly fate. Her only friend is a doll her mother made, permanently ensconced in a glass case. May talks to her doll, Susie, expressing her desire to meet other people… real people… like Adam (Jeremy Sisto, ‘Six Feet Under’), the man with the beautiful hands, upon whom she has a crush. There’s another potential friend in the bizarre Polly, a woman with whom May works at the Animal Hospital. Then there’s May’s job, assisting in operations on dogs and cats. May doesn’t flinch when she has to reach inside a cat during surgery, in fact, she finds some of the more grisly scenarios to be somewhat amusing.
“There is an element of cheesiness that lightens the mood and makes this a real keeper for horror fans. Things do take a rather bloody turn towards the end, but MAY is a sad and sweet tale, touched with lovely elements of black humor and flat-out weirdness that make it a film to enjoy.” 3 1/2 cats
Peg says: “I have to second Michael’s opinions on MAY. It was an odd little film, and just when you think it missed its mark it did something to surprise you.
“Its main strength, I thought, was that it never devolved into special effects and so all the ‘horror’ elements could actually be explained by the main character’s behavior, arising from pathology/trauma/psychological elements, and I think it is rare for a horror film these days to make that commitment (I think we have THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT to thank for this ‘less is more’ aesthetic; in fact I am editing a paper on this as we speak! But films like WENDIGO, SESSION NINE, and MAY, would not be possible without that low-budget thang from those guys from Florida).
“The lead actress seemed to be somewhat reprising her role from the made-for-TV version of ‘Carrie;’ but still she is compelling as a performer. And Jeremy Sisto was great!!!”
Ivy says: “I read the comments of Michael and Peg and I agree with both of them. MAY is a wonderful little film. Although other indie horror films – especially GINGERSNAPS – have been more appealing to me, the actress who plays May is so engaging and creepy that the film gets raised up a notch. It is a sad story but it lacks the bite of social commentary that you would think would be present in the film, and is common to horror movies. I’m not sure if the film misses it or not, though.”
Esmé says: “Loved it! It was like John Waters meets FRANKENHOOKER. Great performances, cinematography and gross dialogue. (A weird, lonely girl falls for a boy with beautiful hands. He likes weird, but not that weird)”