American Mary Review
Year:
2012
Stars: Katharine
Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk
Directed:
Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Running Time:
103 mins
Written and directed by sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, who
only have minor acting and short film director/writer roles prior to this.
Filmed in Canada and considering I can’t find any budget information probably
on a shoestring, although it has bonuses that Canadian filming/money seems to
come cheap.
Staring Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, the Being Human
US version, and a multitude of other things) as Mary Mason as she starts to run
out of money and falls into the world of underground surgery, ooh sounds
gruesome.
It’s clear right from the start of this film just how bad
Mary is in trouble with money but she’s a little too proud to let people know,
like her friends and family. So much so she goes to take a job in a no sex
dancing club.
After the slightly botched interview (Katherine may be a
little older than Freddy vs. Jason now but my does she have a fine body)
there’s some kind of fuck up and the owner knowing she’s a surgeon now employs
her to perform surgery on a very badly hurt man for $5000.
I would for that money right away!
One of the annoying things about this film, filming wise
is its quite dark at times brilliant for mood but some things I’d like to see a
bit better.
She does it and is initially a wrought over the whole
experience when she gets home. She soon gets a mysterious phone call, and then
learns she’s lost her job as well.
The mysterious caller is Beatrice Johnson who turns up
later is a very freaky looking woman who thinks she looks like Betty Boop. A
friend of hers wants so *unconventional* surgery done that would be frowned
upon in hospital, the lure of $10,000 is too much. The surgery that she wants
done is well fucked up, the removal of some *extra skin* it’s not nice!
Problems just keep mounting for Mary despite the money,
missed classes, an asshole for a teacher, and not taking the surgeries well.
Add to that getting drugged and raped at parties it doesn’t go well for Mary in
this movie, this snaps her mind.
The film depicts the heights and means that people will
go to for modification; also the heights that some who are desperate and broke
will go to as well. The actual surgery and effects are from what I can see and
what I have seen pretty realistic.
After a bout of revenge and the opening of a secret body
mod clinic the police later get involved looking for the missing person. Mary
has clearly gone a little bonkers when she talks to the club owner who seems to
have a strange infatuation in her.
Mary gets deeper and deeper into the modification world
as the film goes on, quite horrifically. This film is gritty and the writing
and acting is pretty good despite some iffy acting from some German sisters (THE
SOSKA SISTERS).
One major flaw I had with this film is it was an 18 and
there’s quite a lot of cut away at some gruesome surgery points. I know this
may have been done to save on the budget but it can be annoying when you are waiting
to see these horrible things talked about (in a movie that’s age rated to show
it) done in detail and you don’t.
Don’t get me wrong its quite showing at times it’s just
for me I wanted to see a little bit more, does that make me a little fucked up?
Maybe but you have to be in this business. So the police get more involved
after some more problems, you know how it goes.
Because of this I have marked this down from a 5 star
film to a 4 star, as always here at THN I never spoil endings but American Mary
is well worth your time.
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