American Mary Review

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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