Give Me Pity (2022) - Movie Review
What do you get when a multi-talented, but fairly unknown performer decides to take on a one-woman Musical Comedy hour with a horror twist?
A truly unique experience.
Let’s discuss.
Give Me Pity is a 2022 arthouse horror musical comedy brought to us by writer/director Amanda Kramer. Don’t know the name? That’s okay, neither did I. Kramer appears to be a mysterious figure who is mostly known for poorly reviewed short films and music videos. Though, I wouldn’t hold that against her as most art house productions are poorly received by the masses.
The film focuses on the presentation of a 1980’s variety show television production starring fictional personality, Sissy St. Claire. She’s a big star, at least that’s what she thinks she is. Nothing is quite as it seems. Ominous shadows loom on the fringes of the scenes. Makes creatures, whispering voices, and a malevolent entity. Will Sissy finish her masterwork and nail the performance or will she find herself drowning in an ocean of self pity.
It’s a hard film to summarize.
If you’re of the younger generations and didn’t grow up with these types of shows—This may not be for you. Yes, the overall messages in the film regarding fame, abuse, etc definitely translate, but the overall format may miss the mark. I’ve seen a handful of reviews stating they didn’t understand why the film was organized like it is.
It’s because it’s the traditional Variety Show format. This style of television “spectacular” was ubiquitous from around 1960 well into the late 80’s. Normally, they were a way for waning celebrities to attempt to cash in on their former glories. In many cases this resulted in embarrassing affairs that shone a light on said celebrity’s short comings. Some led to enduring late night informercials starring the likes of Conway Twitty and Ray Stevenson.
The look of this film is spot on to the look of the era. The color bleed, the uneven lighting, and the motion blur all added together to give it an authentic feel. The organization of the show was just as accurate as the different songs, dance numbers, and spoken word sections were mainstays of this outdated genre of television. The random patriotic anthem popping up got a chuckle out of me, because it was the most accurate. Every single one of these shows done had a big number designed to get you chanting USA, even when the person performing the songs was from Canada.
And while I found the film novel, and fell in love with its star—I can’t recommend this film to any but the most ardent cinephiles. Much like my review of 2021’s The Green Knight, I liked the experience of watching this film. However, I’m not the common viewer. Most people go into a movie looking for an engaging story or a relatable conflict. This film doesn’t present that.
This feels very much like an inside joke.
It’s almost like the filmmakers had the setup, and a rough idea of a message, but they never connected the dots.
Ambiguity can work in film, but only when the parameters of the mystery are defined. When the story of your film is the unknown MacGuffin, you’re going to lose the bulk of the audience.
And they would have lost me if not for the incredible performance of Sophie Von Haselberg. She’s incredible. As I watched her throughout the movie, I was amazed how charismatic she was. She gave me the subtle, sexy vibes of a young Bette Midler. Imagine my surprise when I looked her up in doing research on the film and found that she IS a young Bette Midler. She’s Bette’s daughter and inherited so much of her mother. I’d never heard of her before, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for her from this point on.
If you’re looking for a fun watch with friends, this isn’t for you.
If you’re looking for a novel experience, this may interest you.
Either way, find is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
