Canada · 2012
Rated R · 1h 42m
Director Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Starring Katharine Isabelle, Julia Maxwell, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk
Genre Horror, Thriller
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A young medical student struggling to pay tuition is drawn into the shady world of underground body-modification.
This Canadian film seems to be trying to make some points about body dysphoria or modern fame, but the one point it's absolutely sure of is that [Katharine] Isabelle is a startlingly beautiful woman with a well-proportioned (and exploitable) body.
This tale of a violently disillusioned medical student’s wade into the weird world of extreme body modification doesn’t develop all its narrative and thematic ideas to the fullest. But the polished pic is still outre and entertaining enough to please most jaded horror fans.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Featuring murky visuals, an even murkier narrative that lamely sputters to its conclusion, and frequently amateurish performances — the effectively low-key Isabelle is a notable exception — the film never explores its undeniably disturbing issues with enough thematic depth to compensate for its ragged execution.
The movie sags after Mary’s weak-willed acquiescence to crime, instantly turning her into a dull-eyed monster. You know her procedures are bound to stray from elective, but it’s hard to care.
Nonsensical and all-around third-rate, American Mary offers up Human Centipede-style surgical horror, except this time with endless absurd eroticism.
Time Out London by Nigel Floyd
American Mary nods savvily to the ‘body horror’ of ‘Audition’ and ‘Dead Ringers’ but still possesses a truly original, deeply disturbing vision.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
It's made with gusto, but there's little dramatic interest for non-enthusiasts.
The acting is uniformly dreadful. The level of incompetence in both writing and direction is a scream.
Austin Chronicle by Steve Davis
Given its many failings, nothing short of an extreme makeover could save American Mary. Scalpel, please.
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