by Michele Pearson:
I have been waiting for this movie ever since I watched Dead Hooker in a Trunk. Thanking Amazon for a good deal on a multi-region DVD player, I purchased American Mary on pre-order from Amazon.co.uk. Now the problem with watching a much hyped film is that you can build it up in your mind, ultimately being disappointed in it not being what you thought it could be. When I finally got a chance to sit down and watch it, I was relieved to find that American Mary does not disappoint.
Mary is a medical student, training to be a surgeon, who is extremely smart, very competent and very much in debt. To help pay her bills, she decides to apply for a job at a strip club. During the interview, she inadvertently finds herself in the world of underground surgery and body modification. Accepting the good money that comes with such sleazy work, Mary quickly learns that the scars on her patients heal…those on her soul never do.
This film is original, beautifully shot and worthy of the praise it has received. Katharine Isabelle is thoroughly believable as Mary but Tristan Risk honestly steals the film with her portrayal of Beatress Johnson, a stripper at the club who has been surgically altered to look and sound just like Betty Boop. Everyone, from the main characters down to the guy playing the body guard, had actual depth and purpose. There is not one extraneous character thrown in, which is often rare in films of any genre.
My only complaint is that I would have loved more blood, more gore. The physical effects were great, especially in the surgical scenes and, while I do understand that some things are best left to the imagination, I would have liked seeing more. Again, my own personal preference and not at all a knock on the film as a whole. This film made great use of physical special effects (ie: non-cgi) and I would have loved to see more of that highlighted.
Some people have made the comment that the film is hard to follow. This is true and, like Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, this is a film that you will have to watch more than once to pick up on everything. Some of the scenes are out of sequence and you might think that you’re missing something. Don’t worry, just keep watching and everything will make sense in the end!
To sum up, this film was definitely worth the wait. Have yet to see a US release date but I understand it is still playing on the festival circuit. When you get an opportunity, pick up a copy or catch a screening. I don’t believe that you will be disappointed.
Michele Pearson is a contributor for DarkMedia. She covers Vampire Diaries and any other films, books, etc that come her way. She reads everything from Lonesome Dove to Game of Thrones and loves epic tv series like Doctor Who and Star Trek: TNG. Michele also loves a good horror film and was able to channel that love as a judge for Shriekfest 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @GirlInRowB and check out her blog at http://www.girlinrowb.com.
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