I knew absolutely nothing about this movie other than the fact that it was popular among a small group of horror enthusiasts on Twitter. So last night, upon the urging of the "Monster Honey" from a wonderful group of gals called The Horror Honeys http://www.thehorrorhoneys.com/, I dove in.
The movie stars Katharine Isabelle, who horror fans will remember from Ginger Snaps trilogy and Freddy vs Jason. Isabelle plays Mary Mason, a beautiful young, but not too young, medical student who is an exceptional student and we learn quickly how devoted to her craft she is. Needing money, the broke student goes to take a job as a stripper (massages) and shows up with a garter belt and a resume. So up until this point (about 15 minutes), we're expecting this to be the typical exploitation film. Not so fast, this bad boy...er girl, is written and directed by Sylvia and Jen Soska, who are known in the horror world as The Twisted Twins. The Twins carefully construct each character and give them each flaws, closets full of skeletons, some redeeming qualities and ironically values. What is almost as shocking as the storyline, is that we not only like this band of misfits, but we understand them. Maybe not Penis Boy, but everyone else. One note: There is a minor (in terms of lines) character named Lance who is absolutely amazing in every scene he gets a chance to speak.
American Mary is not as graphically violent as many films, but there are some subtly shocking scenes. It is not filled with rage, despite the pent up emotions of many of the characters. It is truly a character study of people lacking something, each wanting to become something they don't have and doing anything in their power to attain it, whether it be emotionally or physically.
I will add one last comment to the review that I don't normally do, because I hate giving any real plot points away. This movie is a rape/revenge film and while the rape and revenge scenes are handled differently than most horror films, it is difficult at times. That being said and judge me how you will, I can only hope that every rapist on the planet meets a Mary!
The movie stars Katharine Isabelle, who horror fans will remember from Ginger Snaps trilogy and Freddy vs Jason. Isabelle plays Mary Mason, a beautiful young, but not too young, medical student who is an exceptional student and we learn quickly how devoted to her craft she is. Needing money, the broke student goes to take a job as a stripper (massages) and shows up with a garter belt and a resume. So up until this point (about 15 minutes), we're expecting this to be the typical exploitation film. Not so fast, this bad boy...er girl, is written and directed by Sylvia and Jen Soska, who are known in the horror world as The Twisted Twins. The Twins carefully construct each character and give them each flaws, closets full of skeletons, some redeeming qualities and ironically values. What is almost as shocking as the storyline, is that we not only like this band of misfits, but we understand them. Maybe not Penis Boy, but everyone else. One note: There is a minor (in terms of lines) character named Lance who is absolutely amazing in every scene he gets a chance to speak.
American Mary is not as graphically violent as many films, but there are some subtly shocking scenes. It is not filled with rage, despite the pent up emotions of many of the characters. It is truly a character study of people lacking something, each wanting to become something they don't have and doing anything in their power to attain it, whether it be emotionally or physically.
I will add one last comment to the review that I don't normally do, because I hate giving any real plot points away. This movie is a rape/revenge film and while the rape and revenge scenes are handled differently than most horror films, it is difficult at times. That being said and judge me how you will, I can only hope that every rapist on the planet meets a Mary!
Comments
Post a Comment