Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
2022 · 10m · USA
Directed by Rachael Moton
Genres: comedy, satire, sci-fi
Tones: absurdist, humorous, whimsical
Aliens land demanding a female virgin for abduction, and one sexually repressed young woman scrambles through panicked dates to disqualify herself before the mandatory exam. Body autonomy via cosmic deadline.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Virginity panic as a Roe metaphor wrapped in shadow puppets — yes, please. Stupid premise, smarter execution than it has any right to be.
An alien-mandated virginity-exam premise played for body-autonomy satire, with shadow puppets dropped in mid-film — Moton has the sketch instincts. Whether the formal swerves earn themselves is the question.
Aliens demanding female virgins for abduction as bodily-autonomy satire is a punchy hook, and the panicked-dates-to-disqualify mechanic is funny on paper. Mid-film shadow-puppet sequences without warning is the kind of tonal whiplash I want to see executed — could be brilliant or could be flailing.
Reviews
Moton's film is elevated with colorful production design and free-spirited aesthetic shifts (see: shadow puppets).