“May” introduces us to a lonely little girl with a lazy eye and is forced to wear an eye patch. She longs for companionship, and finally finds it in the form of a doll. As she grows, the doll is her only real friend, and as you might guess, this affects her mental capacity… somewhat. We meet May (Angela Bettis) again in her twenties, working in an animal hospital, and continuing in her quest to find someone to love, and love her in return. She meets Adam (Jeremy Sisto), with whom she seems to share a love of all things weird. There’s no doubt that Adam is a little bit weird, but if they were to have a contest, May would win hands down. When he spurns her affections, she is then taken in by a lesbian friend, Polly (Anna Faris). As that ‘experience’ goes sour, May continues into a downward psychological spiral. She comes to realize that she is really obsessed, not by whole people, but parts of them. The artist’s hands, the lesbian’s neck, etc… As “May” is supposed to be a horror film of sorts, you can only guess where it goes from there.

“May” is a mixed bag of a movie. And being so, I watched it with mixed emotions. There were about as many things I liked about the film as things I didn’t necessarily care for. The main thing that really annoyed me was the film’s direction, or lack thereof. It often seemed as though the director, Lucky McKee, couldn’t decide what kind of film he wanted to make. There were some scenes that bordered on laughable, even more so as it went on. Now, I will admit that this might have worked if the film was meant to mirror May’s deteriorating mental state, but if it was, it wasn’t made clear.

What I did like, however were some of the quirky scenes that worked. And there were many, due mostly to the strong performances by the film’s leads. Angela Bettis was very believable (most of the time) as May. There were little nuances to her performance that were very disturbing, and at times uncomfortable to watch. Jeremy Sisto also did a very good job with Adam’s character, I think in part because he reminded me a little of me. I’m weird, I like really weird things, have a really dark twisted sense of humor, but am able to remain firmly rooted in reality. But when I meet up with someone who is obviously crossed the line from weird into mental, I know better than to stick around.

Watching the DVD is probably a much better way to be introduced to the film, mostly because there are some commentaries you can listen to that do give a little bit of insight into it. There are two, both of which include McKee. In one he is joined by Angela Bettis, Director of Photograpy Steve Yedlin, Editor Chris Sivertson and a couple of the bit players from the film. In the other, McKee converses with various members of the production staff, including Benji, the Craft Services Guy.

Both commentaries are fairly interesting, offering little tidbits of what went on behind the scenes. Some of this information would also be useful to new filmmakers, giving them ideas on what they can do to make their low budget movie. What keeps it from being really interesting is the low key, conversational tone throughout. It’s fine at first, but after a while it kind of lulls you into a semi-catatonic state, almost akin to being high (not that I’m… ahem… familiar with that feeling).

Bottom line, if someone were to ask me if I liked “May”, I would tell them yes. But if they asked me if they would like it, I would have to pause, and size up their individual tastes. It’s not a movie for everyone. Mainstream audiences would most likely revile it, while those with a taste for the dark and unusual might get a kick out of it.

Directed by: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris
Extras: 2 Commentaries – One with Director Lucky McKee, actress Angela Bettis, director of photography Steve Yedlin, Editor Chris Sivertson, actor Bret Roberts and actress Nicole Hilitz. The other with director Lucky McKee, composer Jaye Barnes-Luckett, production designer Leslie Keel, editor Rian Johnson, and Benji, the Craft Services Guy
Specifications:
Studio: Lion’s Gate
Release Date: 7/15/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Strong Violence / Gore, Some Sexuality and Language)
Website 1, Website 2

We'll give May a B-.