I have to say, I really enjoyed it, but I'm very biased about my Canadian horror filmmakers.
I can tell they took a lot of inspiration from Ginger Snaps. It was bloody, and sexy. Seeing as Ginger Snaps was a coming of age movie for me when I hit puberty, American Mary is the horror movie that echoes my feeling of being a 20-something, paying off debt and making the choices I have to make in order to be stable.
I guess spoilers here:
I did think it had some good feminist views, primarily, a womans right to bodily autonomy. The woman who had her nipples removed to stop looking like a sex object and the consequences of the choice she made was a high point for me. That screamed feminism, from not just a white cis girl pov. It's very much like a trans-person wanting to be in the body that's right for them, and the attacks they suffer from loved ones and strangers for making that choice. Even the ending, it was like seeing how abortion providers are mistreated and attacked for providing services to women.
But overall, it could have been better. There were a lot of plot holes, and it was a lot more style than substance. I still very much enjoyed the movie though, and can't wait to see more from Jenn and Sylv.
__________________
|