Dancing Mary is part of the Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival. It runs for free on the streaming platform Darkflix, from April 9th through the 18th, 2021. Like a plate of uncooked pasta, there are many ideas and tones at play in Dancing Mary that just doesn’t quite stick. It is not for a lack of trying though. There is a lot of genuine effort that should be applauded throughout. Does this movie want to be a ghost story? A samurai action piece? A romance epic? Why not all these and more? These are all different story elements that unfold throughout the film. While this makes for a piece that is certainly entertaining, it also makes for some stark tonal shifts that felt contrived more than inspired.
There is a certain point in every film where, if you are unsure about what you are watching, there is a make-or-break moment. That point where if it doesn’t really pick up or grab you, you are kind of over it from that point. For many moments, our lead characters begin to ask other ghosts if they have seen the spirit of their long-lost lover of Mary. This is the point where the film starts down a rabbit hole of incorporating heavier comedic elements that simply never land throughout the film.
The Ghost of a Female Dancer
While not all media has to maintain a dark or brooding tone, the film tiptoes that line of trying to do comedy, while also wanting you to take it seriously. This is clearest in the final act of the film where things come to a satisfying conclusion but all sense of levity just doesn’t remain any more. Despite all of this, though, it is still an ambitious attempt at combining so many unique sensibilities into one film. There is a sense of really taking the ball and running with all the interesting characters you would meet. Especially in this world of spirits/limbo. It was unique to be treated to this former Yakuza redemption subplot play out. It is just one of those things where you could easily see this working better, almost in a serialized fashion.
Will Dancing Mary Entertain You?
If rather than a close to a two-hour movie, you had 10-hour long episodes that could really flesh things out, a story such as this might have benefited. As it stands, there is simply just not enough focus here to really highly recommend the final film. Will the film entertain you? Most certainly, but is there something here that you will ultimately want to come back to? Probably not. Like a well-intentioned casserole, it may all look pretty, but what you are left with is too many ingredients that don’t enrich the taste buds by the time you are all done.
Dancing Mary gets
2.5 ghostly apparitions out of 5
- Director: SABU / Production by LDH,
- Starring: Nozomi Bandô, Ryo Ishibashi, Jun’ya Kawashima,
- All film screenings are geo-blocked to Brazil, with additional details available at www.fantaspoa.com.
- Daniel Hess is part of the official press for Fantaspoa 2021.
- Dancing Mary was acquired as a screener for review purposes.
- In addition check out these films: Phasma Ex Machina / Still Born / Deadly Illusions / Bloodshot Heart
