Review of the movie "MAY".

[regina414]

The movie is about a girl who wants to be loved and accepted. I pity the character for people seem to avoid her. I remember a famous line, If you can't find a friend, make one...

 

[AdriaMichelle]

I love May. It is one of my all time favorites. I even got a chance to meet Angela Bettis she was so nice and sweet. :sigh:

 

[Lunar Raven]

Straight from the very beginning, this twisted tale draws you in, pulling and attracting you to every morbid moment. "MAY" starts out with a young women, in definite pain holding her profusely bleeding eye. Her overwhelming pain and sorrow sends a depression-filled, morbid/gore feel, that bleeds shivers down your spine. All of this quickly fades, and leaves for the time being as the movie switches over to the younger version; May as a child.

As a little girl, May is forced to wear an eye patch, to correct a "lazy" eye. Her mother, obviously worried about May's appearance and social life, encourages her to keep the patch covered by her long, straight hair. Sadly enough, her hair isn't enough to cover up her strange differences amongst her peers. Living in such a judgemental world, making friends doesn't come easily to May, nor anyone who un-willingly strays away from the "norm.".

"If you can't find a friend," her mother tells her very shortly after... "make one." With that said, she gives May a doll named Suzy for her birthday. This, according to her mother, was once her best friend, and could now be May's as well. However, this is no ordinary play time Barbie doll. Not even close. This is a solemn, pale faced, depressed looking doll that sits behind glass walls, and is not allowed out.

As her childhood unfortunately passes so fast (from our view), we next see May as a young, beautiful adult. Sure she's changed; her looks, her style...but one there is one thing hasn't. She still has Suzy, her best friend; her only friend. Joyfully talking to her beloved doll, she happily dances around in front of it's cold glass chamber, modeling the new clothes that she has just created. Except for Suzy, May lives alone, lost in her own little world. She works in a veterinary hospital, and cares for many animals, and as a hobby, sews and creates her own clothing. To the viewer, she seems weird - but that that's okay, she knows she's weird. Sure, she lives on her own and handles a good job, but something just isn't right. There's something sad about May. Like her only friend Suzy, the doll in the glass box, she remains separate from others. She exists alone, cut off from the life that flows around her.

First-time writer/director Lucky McKee, stays admirably committed to his twisted vision and sad story line. He pulls "may" off quite well, making it psychologically frightening, and morbidly funny (at times.) At moments you will laugh, but you'll always feel a sense of sorrow and remorse. Not only does the director do an amazing job, the actors seem frighteningly natural.

Angela Bettis plays the part of "May" and does a fine job. Her tiny/thin figure, big sad eyes, and pale white skin make her fit for the part 100%. Not only does she look lost and filled with sadness, her shy smile could warm anyones heart, and making them wish for some sign of hope. Don't get me wrong, May isn't a depressed woman, filtering through her rebellious angst; no, she's far from it. May is a character full of life who is very outgoing. She is at once charming, and unsettling. When problems occur in May's life, and things go terribly wrong, we are not only horrified by what we feel, but saddened by May's loss of reality and decline into complete madness.

May is content to live her own life, in her own private world, with her one-and-only friend, Suzy. This all changes, as she some-how falls in love with Adam (an odd individual, who enjoys "weird" things, including May.) Adam seems perfect to May. Not only does she love him, but she loves his hands. Sadly enough, this doesn't work out. Adam is weird, but he does draw a line. The line is passed, as May's confusion as to what a relationship is strikes. She is once again left alone with Suzy. However, something has changed in May. Suzy, while still her friend, is no longer enough. May is in need of person-to-person attention and love. She needs a REAL companion. Mentally unstable, May is left alone and overtaken by loneliness. Not only was she un-ready for a relationship, she was completely unprepared to be left by the one she believes she loves.

As the need grows stronger, it is briefly filled by Polly (and her neck), but it can never again be filled by Suzy the doll alone. Polly (a lesbian played by Anna Faris, who works with her) is worried about May, and shows her love.

Another problem arrives, and May is once again left confused alone. This love isn't real. May wants a life-long, best friend, who will always support and love her. She wants to feel special... wanted.

She just wants to be seen.

Soon enough, total madness over-takes her, and all hell breaks loose.

Remember...if you can't find a friend, MAKE one.

We never get under May's skin in a way that allows us to know her, so we are left to observe her as others do. To us, May is a strange, sad, lonely young woman, whose hold on reality is tenuous at best. We see flashes of May's dark side throughout the movie, which helps us get an idea of part of her. For example, at one point she tells Adam a gruesome story that happened at her work. A dog's intestine bursts open and, while telling it, she wears a broad, satisfied smile. Bettis's performance fills in most gaps, and effectively shows May, and who she is to the day. Although we get a good outside view of May, we never get to find out the positive cause for her corruption. I found myself wanting more, wanting to discover the root of her problem... what had shaped May into such a bizarre person.

As many shocking acts occur, it all leads up to what we saw in the beginning. May, holding her blood spurting eye. The end, and what it leads up to, is horrifying, stunning, and yes, depressing.

May is an entertaining, funny, and disturbing movie, that will be remembered for all time, but not taken into the mainstream. Each actor played their part amazingly well, and left me astonished, shocked, and saddened. If you enjoy gore, sadness, humor, and madness, this movie is for you.

--7/23/03 Joe [AKA] Lunar Raven