Donnie Darko and May might have got along like a house on fire had they met – both being somewhat weird, outcaste sorts and both carrying around some seriously disturbed, twisted thoughts. Though perhaps the comparison isn’t accurate as May, with her “lazy eye” (and her subsequent pirate’s eye-patch) had always been an outcaste since childhood, while Donnie Darko was overtly “one of the boys”.

Anyway, enough about Darko for the moment; May is a film about a young girl who grows up with no friends and when it becomes apparent that she isn’t about to make any new chums her mother attempts to solve the problem by giving May “the first doll she ever made”. The doll, Suzie is a freaky looking thing staring at its viewer with a knowing expression and a glint in her eyes that suggests the same. It has a ghostly white complexion though the lips are painted an alluring ruby red. Suzie is entombed in a glass box from where she scrutinizes the world wearing the slightest hint of smug superiority.

This doll is May’s only companion as she spends the hours sewing profusely, producing bizarre outfits made of chopped up parts from other clothes. Now grown up, May works at an Animal hospital where she is the surgeons “right hand man” with her sewing skills coming to lifesaving, if macabre use on many an occasion. May’s lazy eye is “corrected” by some new contact lenses and her confidence touches new heights and she begins her pursuit of a young man whose hands she finds herself falling in love with. The opening scenes other than the startling opening shot, present May as a very kooky yet likeable character full of insecurities and feelings of inadequacy resulting from her isolated upbringing and her loneliness. Though seemingly delighted with the company of Suzie and occasionally her lesbian co-worker friend at the animal hospital, she yearns for that perfect true friend – a person who must be perfect in every way and be all hers.

So the film sets a darkly comic tone during the scenes when May woos the object of her admiration and after a few bumbling attempts actually does manage to fumble into a date of sorts with the young film maker attracted by her bizarre quirkiness. She thanks Suzie for some invaluable advice on kissing before heading out on her first romantic interlude. Her kiss however, a touch over enthusiastic, has her prospective boyfriend backing off in mild shock.

May returns home in a rage, cursing Suzie for her misguided advice – a crack appears at the corner of the dolls glass tomb. May practices hard and feels confident when the slightly bewildered but still interested boyfriend calls her over to watch his short film having told her that he is attracted by her weirdness (he is a film student after all). Once they watch his very strange cannibalistic lovemaking short they turn to a little cuddling of their own until May, attempting some serious passion, rips a bit off her friends lip with her teeth. “It’s just like your film” she offers as he makes a hasty exit in a state of total shock. “You said you liked weird” she says. “Not this weird” is his parting remark as the door slams and May is left alone with Suzie staring at her with that cold knowing expression. As Jeremy Sisto departs he hears May screaming “I told you to turn to face the wall” or something to that effect. He hurries off, relieved that he has managed to rid himself of a woman who is rather more than just plain weird.

May’s blissful romance shudders to an abrupt halt leaving her feeling humiliated and rejected while Suzie’s glass coffin starts cracking further and further and the crackling sound drives May to screaming despair – her mother always told her that “if you cant find a friend, make one” and though that was what May had always intended deep in her heart, now she starts to start to take some action. The film now changes course from being a weird, black comedy to something far, far darker, macabre and gruesome. May spirals out of control into complete madness as she strives day and night to create the mate of her dreams – a poor misguided twisted soul, re-incarnation of Carrie and Dr. Frankenstein!

Angela Bettis is superb in the title role, capturing a perfect balance between the eccentric and quirky friendless lunatic and the ravenous psycho hell bent on “making” new friends. That she was feted at the Sitges festival is hardly surprising given the excellence of her portrayal and it also comes as little surprise that writer – director Lucky McKee also bagged some top honours for this terrific debut feature. Which brings us back to the similarities between the previous years electrifying macabre-tinged debut feature Donnie Darko and last years equally brilliant debut by McKee in 2002 – both films were by Rookie directors and despite the invigorating new wave of horror continuing its onslaught from the East, there is plenty in movies like May and Donnie Darko to suggest that the future of American macabre is in safe hands.