This is a very unusual movie. It may appeal to some and be a complete waste of time to others because while it incorporates elements of horror, it also plays out in subtle tones of a gawky comedy of manners and even a smattering of French New Wave cinema complete with flash-cuts to the future and past, and anyone who has seen CLEO DE CINQ A SEPT knows where the reference lies (and for those who haven't, it's the black and white silent movie within this movie), even when this film is vastly different from the aforementioned one.
Movies about maladjusted individuals have been made with different results and well-known titles such as TAXI DRIVER, REPULSION, and CARRIE will undoubtedly find their way into comparison with this relatively obscure little cult film. MAY also tells the story of the main character devolving into madness and murder, but its approach is like nothing I've ever seen in a horror film. No murky colors are used -- much of the scenes take place in clear daylight --, there are no sudden jolts and crashing violins, and even when the inevitably horrifying resolution begins to reveal itself, there's an awkward sadness, and on occasion MAY feels like an animated art film about quirky Goth angst made by a college student. Anyone looking for a CARRIE-esquire denouement (as seen from the movie's sleeve and given the fact that Bettis was in a CARRIE remake that same year) should look elsewhere: this is also one of the quietest horror films I've seen in ages; scenes involving violence coming forth from May's hand happen as this were a natural progression of events and not a frightening involution of a human being incapable of functioning in society. And in a nice ode to Giallo (and silent) films, one of the most quietest murder sequences include one of the people who vie for her affections getting her neck slashed: until we see her look of horror or ecstasy and her open gape framed by her hands coming to her neck, we're only partially sure for about a second about what has happened, and then horrified.
This isn't a movie with great acting, and much less a great script. On occasions it's too eccentric, it looks like the original concept must have been a sketch that here is stretched to a 90 minute film, the dialog is at times painful to hear; but overall, what it is is an honest film that has Bettis become unglued without sacrificing credibility for shock value even when she commits horrific acts. MAY is horror that is extremely low-key down to its last, very disturbing scene.
Movies about maladjusted individuals have been made with different results and well-known titles such as TAXI DRIVER, REPULSION, and CARRIE will undoubtedly find their way into comparison with this relatively obscure little cult film. MAY also tells the story of the main character devolving into madness and murder, but its approach is like nothing I've ever seen in a horror film. No murky colors are used -- much of the scenes take place in clear daylight --, there are no sudden jolts and crashing violins, and even when the inevitably horrifying resolution begins to reveal itself, there's an awkward sadness, and on occasion MAY feels like an animated art film about quirky Goth angst made by a college student. Anyone looking for a CARRIE-esquire denouement (as seen from the movie's sleeve and given the fact that Bettis was in a CARRIE remake that same year) should look elsewhere: this is also one of the quietest horror films I've seen in ages; scenes involving violence coming forth from May's hand happen as this were a natural progression of events and not a frightening involution of a human being incapable of functioning in society. And in a nice ode to Giallo (and silent) films, one of the most quietest murder sequences include one of the people who vie for her affections getting her neck slashed: until we see her look of horror or ecstasy and her open gape framed by her hands coming to her neck, we're only partially sure for about a second about what has happened, and then horrified.
This isn't a movie with great acting, and much less a great script. On occasions it's too eccentric, it looks like the original concept must have been a sketch that here is stretched to a 90 minute film, the dialog is at times painful to hear; but overall, what it is is an honest film that has Bettis become unglued without sacrificing credibility for shock value even when she commits horrific acts. MAY is horror that is extremely low-key down to its last, very disturbing scene.