The Last Thing Mary Saw is the occult-themed, period horror feature film debut of Edoardo Vitaletti. Set in Southold, New York in 1843, Vitaletti challenges religious authority in a commendable first effort that presents some interesting set pieces and concepts, but is weighed down by a script that rings hollow.
The film begins with a young woman, Mary (Stefanie Scott), blindfolded in the midst of an interrogation. Through flashbacks we learn that Mary and her family’s maid, Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), are engaged in a romantic relationship, much to the horror of her parents and the family’s Matriarch (a wonderful Judith Robert). While Mary and Eleanor are made to kneel on grains of raw rice as penance for their transgressions, their attraction and love for one another is never dampened.
As the two women continue their relationship, tensions within the household mount. The presence of a strange intruder (Rory Culkin) exacerbates the situation and pushes Mary and Eleanor to the edge.
Religion is the dominant theme across The Last Thing Mary Saw — from the John Calvin quote in the opening title card to Mary being asked to recite the Lord’s prayer at gunpoint. Vitaletti uses the film and its queer relationship to question the validity of religion’s oppressive hold. Even the interrogation of Mary, which is revisited throughout the film, feels like an indictment on religion as a whole.
Along with religion, Vitaletti hints at a larger mythology. Mary and Eleanor take turns reading from what appears to be a book of spiritual history and the family Matriarch is subject to various supernatural affects. While the ambiguity may help build a lived-in world with pre-existing folklore, Vitaletti sacrifices much-needed clarity here for mystery. Rather than pique the audience’s attention, the clues dropped just create confusion in the mind of the viewer as to whether an explanation was missed earlier in the film.
Generally speaking, the themes introduced in The Last Thing Mary Saw are interesting. They work well for the time period, yet still ring with relevance today. That said, the film would have been more compelling had Vitaletti pushed his exploration that much further, whether through richer character exploration or deeper knowledge of the family dynamics.
Where Vitaletti excels, though, is in the technical aspects of the film as The Last Thing Mary Saw is beautifully shot. The sparse candlelight illuminating scenes is a perfect touch to enhance the atmosphere, while also keeping it period accurate. And there’s one scene in particular that forgives some of the aforementioned critiques.
The anger and disgust from Mary’s family builds to a gripping climax, compellingly played out without a word of dialogue. Glances between the actors and the haunting score take over in an incredibly effective manner, with the sound design deserving of a special mention. The clinking of the chinaware and the creaking of floorboards heighten the energy of each and every movement — a choice that is sure to tighten the shoulders of audiences.
Vitaletti’s control in filming and blocking that scene is likewise impressive. He balances the loudness and subtlety of the situation wonderfully.
Where The Last Thing Mary Saw lacks in storytelling, Vitaletti makes up for in his filmmaking. And while it’s hard to ignore the superficiality of the story itself, there’s enough good in the film to consider Vitaletti a director to watch.
The Last Thing Mary Saw is streaming on Shudder now.
