Review of American Mary (2013) by Joe A — 24 Jul 2013

Moderately interesting story of pretty med student, Mary Mason (a smoking hot Katherine Isabelle) who, when in need of cash, finds herself getting accidentally involved with illegal surgery and body modification.

But, it's not till she is drugged and raped at a party by her arrogant pervert of a professor (David Lovgren) that Mary's skills get put to horrifying use and her inner Frankenstein is unleashed.

American Mary is moderately intriguing but, never fully decides what it is really about to make it completely work or gets truly twisted enough to make it cult film material. This Canadian flick written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska has a nice visual style and some very gruesome moments but, never really grabs us or shocks us enough to solidify itself cult status.

The acting is passable and there are a few interesting characters but, lead Katherine Isabelle plays Mary with a distant stare for the most part and before the story takes her on her twisted path we only get glimpses of her emotions as she gets drawn in deeper and deeper but, not enough to add resonance.

After her brutal rape, we can understand her emotional shut down but, even before that she seems to adjust a bit too quickly despite the absurdity of what she's asked to do. Her borderline emotional detachment at times robs us of appreciating the gravity of her transformation from down-on-her-luck med student to illegal body modification diva to sadistic murderer.

To a degree Mary is likable but, we never really get involved as she embraces her dark and sadistic side or begins to revel at being a rock star of underground body modification surgery... and we should in order to give the story the weight it needs to elevate it to something unique and special.

Thought I won't take away that it is an original story in a genre filled with remakes and sequels. This real segment of society has never really been touched on in films and we wish the Soska's would also have delved a little deeper into this sect of people that see their bodies as ever evolving canvases and physically alter them through illegal surgery such as Mary provides.

There are also a few story lines going on during American Mary and none get fully developed, such as what is going on between Mary and strip club owner Billy (Antonio Cupo) who first hires her to perform an illegal surgery and then a partnership/relationship between them forms that the parameters of which are never really made clear.

And that's what restrains American Mary, it is an interesting idea that never gets fully developed enough to really get our complete attention or becomes bizarre and twisted enough to make it more memorable.

.. though it has it's moments. Worse still, the ending feels forced and sudden as if the Soska's didn't know where to go with Mary's story at that point and add a plot contrivance to wrap things up in a bloody bow.

It's abrupt and not very satisfying. A mildly intriguing diversion and a nicely original story idea that's worth a look and has it's effectiveness but, could have been so much more.