May

 

 

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The technically strong Lucky McKee may become a great director one day, he might make films that don't reek of cliches and artsy shock but keep the rest of his talents intact. May is a good film that suffers from being obstructively unoriginal and at times even vexing. The cast is small but strong in that mostly their characters were written and directed with very careful hands.

May is a very quirky and awkward girl with a lazy eye that has sort of fallen into her own little world of self-hatred so deep she can't even detect it anymore, so neither does McKee. May falls deeper as she attempts to build relationships with people that falter in trust and cause May to suffer further. She is given a doll by her Mom when she is young and as we lay in wait for the doll to spring to life this never happens because quite simply May is not that kind of horror film...the doll is her only friend and possibly the darkest side of her warped mind. It is a film about a girl who finds something to actually live for and she goes all out to get it...as disturbing as that may be when you see what it is.

Anna Faris (from Scary Movie) co-stars along with Jeremy Sisto and Nichole Hiltz. May is played by who could be among the most overlooked talents in film today. Her name is Angela Bettis and we will probably see a lot of her in the future. I hope Angela decides it's best to take on roles like this....she literally carried this film and it would've been a far lesser film without her. Anyway, the only thing I know her from is the television remake of Carrie which is ironic because I just mentioned this in my review of Depalma's version of the Stephen King story. The parallels with Carrie and May have come up and I'm here to tell you they are completely unjustified. Bettis' performances in particular are light years apart. Angela Bettis is oddly attractive but the only way to describe here is profoundly scary looking. She was perfect for the role but I suspect the performance was more her work than McKee's.

Personally, I don't think we'll see McKee conquer filmmaking or even put out another good independent film. May borrows from a bevy of independent films and the style of his music being off beat with the film's true guise is nothing new and neither is the unexpected humor in the first hour of the movie. My major gripe with May was the unusual "Halloween make-over" that the major character took on in the last twenty minutes of the film. All of sudden she goes from being this insecure and frail little weirdo to being this confident and sexy killer. I didn't miss anything here I can assure you. I get why it happened but I did not find the film compelling in any way beyond this point. It simply made the horror of the last half seem so unbelievable. Sure, this flaw can be explained away but it just didn't sit right with me. She seems to drift right back to herself by the films end too as though some other character took her over...I don't doubt that was in fact the film's intention but the lead character was already fully capable of these horrific actions in the first place. Anyway, May's flaws aside, what happens here could rarely be pulled off by any other movie that takes itself seriously and for that I recommend it. If you like horror this little movie is totally worth your time as it's scare tactics are unexpected and deeper than most and its conclusion is unforgettable.

"May" is the movie American Psycho should have been. Darkly disturbing, urgent, well acted, funny,
and above all retains a sense of humanity. Angela Bettis (Girl Interrupted, Carrie, Bless The
Child) certainly gives Maggie Gyllenhaal a run for her money in terms of best female performance of
the year in a Lions Gate film. What a perfectly 'nailed' creepy yet vulnerable performance. Jeremy
Sisto ("Peter" from Six Feet Under) and Anna Faris keep this 'sure-to-be cult classic horror film'
a whole level above the norm.

Unlike American Psycho, this doesn't maintain the same consistent undertone of black humor, but
more than makes up for it by creating and nurturing a strong sympathy for "May," our
psychologically damaged, intriguing and beguiling, enigmatically appealing, murdering heroine.

It is difficult for me to classify this movie yet I'm sure that most will refer to it as a horror
film (and I'll probably put it in the horror section of my store). But it was much more of a deeply
profound drama that probes where few movies dare to tread. Make no mistake about it, there is a lot
of explicit gore (strangely no nudity) for which Lions Gate is famous. Again, unlike American
Psycho, this doesn't only insinuate the graphic gore--it shows it. But with taste and dignity, if
that's possible.

The movie begins with May screaming in agonizing pain, holding her eye with blood gushing out (very
haunting), and then cuts to May as a little girl. She was born with a condition called "lazy eye."
The psychological trauma began mounting as May was sent to school with a patch over her defective
eye, only to be ridiculed and ostracized. In an attempt to compensate for May's loneliness, her
mother gives her a special handmade doll that was hers when she was a child. It is kept in a wooden
glass case and May is told that it must stay in that case, but it will be her friend and companion
for life.

As May grows up, eye glasses and then contact lenses are able to correct her deformity which
reveals that May is really quite lovely. The question is, will May be able to acclimate into
society so late in the game?

May works as a veterinarian assistant (of course this gives her access to all kinds of scalpels and
surgical tools) and is very good at her job. But there is a quiet lonely aching that is beginning
to manifest in May and she needs some companionship desperately. Unfortunately, she lacks any real
social skills to properly interact in pursuit of her longing.

May says to Adam (Sisto) while on their first date, "You probably think I'm weird." He
replies "Yes, but I like weird." She is definitely weird. And so is this movie. But in a very very
good way. It keeps you guessing, it keeps you caring, it keeps your eyes glued to the screen, right
down to the last minute of a very very weird ending. Of course, a very good weird ending.

"May" is that most congenial of horror movies to the theater-goer who hates horror movies: a kind of hip, artsy "horror" flick that one can go see, feel superior and reinforced in one's pseudo-intellectualism, and come out not feeling like one has been rolling in the horror movie mud for two hours.

The movie is obviously infatuated with itself, and if the film were a fraction as enjoyable and clever as director Lucky McKee evidently feels it is it would be an entertaining ride. As it is, while "May" has some interesting concepts, there's certainly nothing here to get excited about.

With that said, one can't help but pity poor May Cannady (played effectively by the lovely Angela Bettis), the film's eponymous heroine, left friendless after her parents die because, evidently, her lazy eye (which required her to wear an eyepatch in grade school) made it impossible for her to make friends. Not to worry, though: the shy, awkward, but oddly fetching veterinary assistant has a creepy little doll she keeps in a glass box (the doll is for viewing only---look, but don't touch!).

But like most awkward teenagers, May wants a little more in the way of flesh-and-blood companionship. Alas, things don't go so well: her filmmaker boyfriend (played by an unusually poised and effective Jeremy Sisto) likes weird, but May is just a little *too* weird---after he shows her his student horror film (which brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase "I love you so much I could eat you up"), May wants to show her appreciation by making out in the true spirit of Sisto's cannibalistic little horror film.

Her perky co-worker Polly (played by the always nimble Anna Faris) seduces her, but alas: fickle creature that she is, Polly quickly finds another conquest in the leggy and hard-as-nails Ambrosia.

And when, in a moment of pique, May accidentally kills the cat Polly gave her---well, things go to pieces in a hurry, since everyone knows that when you're a shy, weird, awkward teen who lives alone and you've accidentally brained Kitty, you're just one bad hair day from going the rest of the way and slaughtering a homeless punker with a pair of scissors.

But even that's OK: May's mommy told her "if you don't have a friend, make one", and May has always been drawn to 'pieces': she loves her boyfriend's hands, loves Polly's neck, loves Ambrosia's legs, and loves kitty's fur. And she's a great seamstress, so you can probably see where this is going.

No offense to Lucky McKee: for a first-time outing, this movie shows a lot of potential. Sisto's student film gave me a good laugh, and the cinematography reminds me of Tim Burton's early work. All in all, this is a well crafted movie. The acting is universally competent, as well, so no complaints there.

But that said, craft and execution isn't everything. Horror films require a certain suspension of disbelief, but "May" doesn't even try to make its character's actions understandable. I didn't buy May's transformation from an eccentric, needy veterinary assistant to a serial killer specializing in vivisection: what, one bad date pushed her over the edge? Another of the film's pivotal scenes involves broken glass and a class full of blind children, and manages to serve up the biggest insult to handicapped kids I have seen in my life, to say nothing of the fact that it's an idiotic scene that makes no sense. Did I miss something in my 30+ years on the planet, or did blind children suddenly take a liking to rubbing fragments of glass in their eyes and skin?

But in the final analysis, "May" is simply not much fun. It's a self-absorbed and completely self-confident film that expects you to like it as much as McKee does, though unfortunately it's roughly half as clever as he thinks it is. It's painful enough to watch the first time, and I certainly can't imagine the kind of person who would want to own this thing.

If dead cats, vivisection, boring teen-angst, and instant lunatics are your thing, you might get something out of "May". If you're looking for a truly decent horror movie, then avoid this one like the plague.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Innocent and Cruel: Good Horror with Bettis' Strong Acting
First-time director Lucky McKee is really lucky in getting Angela Bettis, one of the most gifted actresses of her generation, especially when it comes to playing a troubled soul,... Read more

Published on July 18 2004 by Tsuyoshi

3.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing
This movie starts out as quaint and awkward and goes to bloody disturbance. Even though I felt gross after it, I still thought it was good. Read more

Published on July 2 2004 by chicoer2003

5.0 out of 5 stars I ove this movie - I love Bettis
I tried to write my thoughts about this movie but can't keep in under 1600 words and I could only write a max of 1,000, oh well. I'll keep this short. Read more

Published on Jun 30 2004 by Norbert Evans

5.0 out of 5 stars IT'S ALWAYS THE QUIET ONES
I watched this movie last night in my room, and at 11, when it ended, I walked out, layed down on my couch and had trouble sleeping. Read more

Published on Jun 29 2004 by Bonerus Viagrus

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome buy.
Wow, thats all I can really say about this movie. This movie lingers in the realm of horror, but to be perfectly honest, Its more like a comedy. Read more

Published on Jun 25 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars I can identify with her so well.....
May was alot better than I expected. The ending sucked however. But I'll give it 1 star for gore 2nd star for the sympathy factor 3rd star for creepiness and a 4th star because... Read more

Published on Jun 14 2004 by Cat

5.0 out of 5 stars wow this is good
May is number 6 on my top ten horror movies and number 8 on my top 100 movies. May is a strange and sad story of a social outcast who longs for the perfect friend. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2004 by surffer69

5.0 out of 5 stars Worst Movie Ever!! ... I FREAKING LOVED IT!
This is a fine gem of a DVD with a terrific performance from the lead actress. It's not for everyone! But, for me, it was a nice surprise. Read more

Published on Jun 13 2004 by C. Jake Cordova

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, beautiful and thrilling at the same time
May is a great movie. Of course, with some gore-ish moments, it does not adress to everyone. It begins as a funny movie, in front of which you laugh often. Read more

Published on Jun 10 2004 by colargogol

5.0 out of 5 stars HOW COME NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY WITH ME!??
This is without a doubt one of the craziest and disturbing movies I have ever seen. This movie has become a cult favorite and will probably be around trippin people out for a long... Read more

Published on Jun 8 2004 by B. Fitzgerald

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