May, written and directed by Lucky McKee, is the story of a young girl who is shunned and ignored by her peers for her differences (in this case, for having a lazy eye) and who grows up into a socially maladjusted woman whose only friend is Susie, a doll that was given to her by her mother. When the kooky, adult May (Angela Bettis) is spurned by Adam (the man who she deemed ‘perfect’) for being just a tad too weird, she unsurprisingly doesn’t take it too well. Add to this May’s rather unhealthy obsession with people’s anatomy and the fact she is an excellent seamstress, who makes her own outfits, she soon spirals into a world of self-destructive and murderous behaviour. You could see trouble heading the unfortunate and clumsy May’s way when she decides to volunteer at a local day centre for blind children.
I must admit to having had initial reservations from reading the cover of the DVD, but from the outset I was pleasantly surprised. I really, really liked this film. It had me laughing in parts and then wincing with pity for May in others.
Anna Faris plays a sapphic receptionist at the Animal Hospital who flirts with, and then seduces, May after Adam, the motor mechanic and indie filmmaker (Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under fame), has kicked the poor ‘heroine’ to the kerb. Faris (who seemingly is becoming the new Jennifer Tilly), as May’s temptress, puts in a fairly good performance, as does Sisto whose bemusement and curiosity about May is soon altered when it appears that she likes blood games in bed. The star of the film is undoubtedly Bettis who puts in a fantastic performance as the naïve and somewhat pathetic May, so much so that even though we know that May’s behaviour is far from normal you can’t help but feel sympathetic to her plight throughout the film.
The film is more gruesome than gory, the effects are good and understated and the whole film is subtly-lit. The last half-hour where May finally gets to make her perfect friend left me exclaiming ‘woah’ a fair bit. I liked the backdrop of Hallowe’en which allowed May to freely walk the streets bloodied and carrying an icebox full of body parts and be congratulated upon her costume! In fact the whole film is laden with subtle and somewhat gentle humour which I enjoyed. In one part, a body ‘donor’ had a Frankenstein’s monster tattoo which May rather liked. I thought it was quite a clever nod to where the story was heading.
Verdict: Funny, freaky film, keep an eye out for it!. 8/10
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