Pros: good creep factor, interesting main character and story, a thoughtful horror
Cons: slow buildup, uneven pacing, disjointed surrealistic flashes
The Bottom Line: A gore-geously creepy tale
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot. As a young girl, May's severe lazy eye made her shy and socially acceptable as a target for persecution. Her demanding and obsessive mother twisted that beginning into something else entirely. The bizarre glass encased doll she gives to her troubled girl becomes May's only friend, and long after mother is gone, the doll continues to be May's truest confidante.
As an adult, May now works in a third rate veterinary office where her interests in things like sewing and amputation make her a valuable assistant for the incompetent and unethical vet. Still desperate for attention, acceptance and love, May meets Adam. At first Adam thinks he's found the girl of his dreams, enchanted and intrigued by her unique flavor of eccentricity.
Soon enough he discovers that dreams can all too easily become nightmares, and there is a distinct difference between eccentric and disturbed! Can May handle one more rejection? Can she pull her self up by the bootstraps one more time without cracking, and simply follow her mother's advice? If you can't find a friend, make one!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Thoughts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hands down one of the most oddly disturbing films I've watched, May is quite an interesting portrayal of a maladjusted individual who is quite capable of going unnoticed as a potential danger until it is too late. There are a few B-flick worthy moments, the tale itself can feel disjointed with it's surrealistic flashes and uneven pacing, but the slow-building pressure and May's uniquely unsettling self make for an ending with impact. At only 93 minutes, it can feel much longer during a first viewing.
Despite such flaws, May offers viewers a wickedly fascinating view of the descent into madness; creepy with sudden flashes of violence and gore. Written and directed by Lucky McKee, this 2002 film offers a fair amount of entertainment to viewers, particularly horror/suspense/thriller fans. Angela Bettis as May delivers a distressingly believable performance. Jeremy Sisto as Adam and Anna Faris as manipulative co-worker, Polly, provide the most supportive pegs in the film's social loom.
As we watch May parasitically attach her emotionally strung out, taut and cripplingly lonely self to each individual, viewers realize that it is her inevitable unraveling through the maze of self and society that fascinates us as the story unfolds. This crafty and darkly optimistic character stirs a tempest of sympathy with one hand, repulsion with the other as we discover what lonely isolation and a traumatic childhood can inspire May to create.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
