Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.


With recent films like “Ginger Snaps” and “Donnie Darko”, a new emergence of cult films have been circulating through word-of-mouth in the rental stores and indie film circuits. “Ginger Snaps” was a fresh new take on the werewolf genre while “Donnie Darko” was a genre-bending thriller about a disturbed youth being spooked by a bunny rabbit. These two films at the time of their theatrical releases were released under an immense amount of obscurity only to gain a huge audience through the independent film circuits like Sundance and other indie festivals. Another recent film that went through similar amounts of obscurity only to become a cult film is an odd, disturbing movie about a young woman who strives for perfection while trying to make friends leads to dire consequences in Lucky McKee’s 2002 debut film “May”.

“May” like “Donnie Darko”, is a film that bends all sorts of genres but unlike “Donnie Darko”, the film’s dramatic structure is more offbeat and filled with a bit of humor and strong dramatic tones. Written and directed by Lucky McKee, “May” explores the psychosis of a young woman who is trying to make friends but due to rejection, she falls apart and becomes something far more dangerous. Playing the title role is Angela Bettis, previously seen in “Girl, Interrupted” with Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg, in a tour-de-force performance that serves as one of the best breakthrough performances that year. With a cast that includes Jeremy Sisto, James Duval, and Anna Faris, “May” is an odd, remarkable masterpiece that keeps on getting shocking while straying in its cold, harsh realism.

The film begins with a look into the child of a young girl named May, whose life has always been troubled due to her left lazy eye where she’s forced to wear an eye patch and in the process, she was never good at making friends. One day on her birthday, May’s mother gives her a present, a doll locked in a glass box named Soozy. Years later as May grows into a young woman working at an animal hospital, May still has trouble making friends as the only thing she could count on is Soozy. With May awaiting contact lenses to correct her lazy eye, she falls for a young man named Adam (Jeremy Sisto) with hands so perfect, she wants to touch them. May feels shy whenever she sees him as she works in the hospital with her sexy, lesbian co-worker Polly (Anna Faris).

When the contact lenses arrives, May tries to attempt to connect to Adam but her insecurities keep stopping her until one day at a coffee shop, she sees him sleeping as she has his hands touch her face and he wakes up. She felt embarrassed until she sees him again in a Laundromat, as they become friends. One day during lunch, she sees him again as she talks about her work at the hospital where she sews animals and does surgery. Adam is disturbed at first by a story she told him but is intrigued by her as they look at blind kids playing in a park. May finally gets a date with Adam as he shows her his stuff including a play dagger as she kisses him but her dating inexperience got Adam a bit uncomfortable as he said, “Who taught you how to kiss” where she takes the blame on Soozy.

With May feeling insecure, trying to make her feel better is Polly, who wants to seduce May while giving her a cat named Loopy. Polly and May dance during work as May is in love with Polly’s neck. May again, tries to attempt to go on a date with Adam but Adam is a bit uncomfortable as he felt May is stalking him. He goes on a date where he introduces a disturbing film called “Jack & Jill” he made about a couple making out and eating each other to death. May likes the film as she and Adam make out but she went to far as she bit his lip and rubs his blood on her body as he gets freaked out. She then tries to make another attempt to reach him but she overhears him as he talks about her as she felt suddenly rejected and blames it all on Soozy.

Polly comforts May as she begins to seduce her in which May feels better but still thinks about Adam. She sees him again at the Laundromat but he leaves immediately as she goes to Polly but finds her with another girl named Ambrosia (Nicole Hiltz) with great legs. May suddenly feels rejected again as she seeks to volunteer to help blind children including a snooty girl named Petey (Rachel David). One day, May brings Soozy to the children’s center where Petey and blind kids try to open the glass box that Soozy was in and the box is broken as well as Soozy leaving May in a fragile state. With the loss of Soozy, May suddenly becomes more reclusive as she sees a punk rocker (James Duval) that asks to hang out with her. She does as she takes him to her place where he finds something in her freezer that disgusts him as she cries over his rejection in not being her friend as she kills him as the film’s third act goes to a much darker tone with May becoming more disturbed than ever.

What makes “May” such an intriguing film isn’t just McKee’s script and fluent direction but the structure the film takes. It starts off very innocently and then gets very desperate and by the third act, it’s much darker where the film kind of becomes a thriller but with elements of comedy and drama. McKee makes sure the film doesn’t become too real or too generic. He makes sure it’s thoughtful and entertaining while giving the audience the chance to explore the mind of May. The film is filled with lovely scenes like May’s natural-colored room and sunny-California look shot wonderfully by cinematographer Steve Yedlin. Even the clothing that May wore, designed by Mariano Diaz and Marcelo Pequeno have a sense of quirkiness. Even the film’s music, mostly done by the Breeders and former Pixies’ bassist Kim Deal’s acts and her sister Kelley’s band that brings in a dreamy, melodic tone to the film.

While James Duval’s role as the punk rocker was small, it’s still one hilarious performance from the cult-film veteran who is likely to become a famed cult actor after appearing in Gregg Araki’s teen-angst apocalypse trilogy of “Totally F*cked Up”, “The Doom Generation”, and “Nowhere” along with Richard Kelly’s 2001 masterpiece “Donnie Darko” as the bunny Frank. Some of the smaller performances like Nicole Hiltz’s Ambrosia, Rachel David’s Petey, and Merle Kennedy as May’s mother brings some fine moments. Anna Faris, known best to many for her work in the “Scary Movie” parody films, is funny and delightful as the dim but sexy Polly. Faris plays the role seductively while adding comedy to her foray even with a bit of intelligence in a scene where she had a mole in her hand talking about imperfections. While “Scary Movie” may have given her attention, it’s this and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” that’s going to make her stay for a while longer. Jeremy Sisto is excellent as the bad-boy Adam who plays nice but really doesn’t understand about May’s behavior and tries to reject her knowing that he’s feeling bad about it. Sisto at times may be sympathetic but he also knows how to play an excellent jerk.

The film’s greatest performance easily goes to Angela Bettis in her harrowing, eccentric portrayal of the title character of May. Bettis brought in a performance that combined elements of comedy, childlike innocence, naiveté, and sympathy and making it evolve into something much more desperate, disturbing, and dark while showing May in the film’s first two acts. Bettis brought in amazing body language to convey the character’s shyness and odd behavior that is enough to make this character very human. In many respects, Bettis’ performance is almost in parallel to another breakthrough performance, from Maggie Gyllenhaal in the 2002 S&M film “Secretary”. It’s because both characters are very odd, offbeat, and very human although Gyllenhaal brought in a more harrowing performance due to the fact that “Secretary” was more of a drama. Though Gyllenhaal brought more edge, Bettis shouldn’t be overlooked since her performance is amazing and should’ve been recognized despite its obscurity upon its release.

While “May” isn’t for everyone, it’s still one of the best film debuts ever made by a new filmmaker. Lucky McKee should be noted for making an odd, eccentric story with its amazing script and top-notch directing. Angela Bettis should also be rewarded for her sterling performance in the title character while credit should also be given to Jeremy Sisto and Anna Faris. In the end, for anyone who likes oddball movies with a sense of realism and a bit of entertainment, “May” is the film to see.

Related Reviews:

Ginger Snaps (2000):

http://www.epinions.com/content_126935666308

Donnie Darko (2001):

http://www.epinions.com/content_102579146372

Wendigo (2001):

(Coming Soon)

Secretary (2002):

http://www.epinions.com/content_101047570052

Lost in Translation (2003):

http://www.epinions.com/content_113414475396



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age