Give Me Pity! review – an experimental, esoteric extravaganza

Within the VHS-infused neon haze of Amanda Kramer’s Give Me Pity! resides an unhinged, ghostly presence hungry for spectacle. Its haunting is incessant as it intercepts the frequencies of a one-woman variety TV show fronted by an animated Sissy St Claire (Sophie von Haselberg, Bette Midler’s lookalike daughter), a small screen diva who’s “just dying to be known”.

But even her show’s faceless psychic refuses to touch her. “The energy surrounding you is demonic”, she claims. In an almost entirely solo performance, Haselberg flexes her immense acting chops as the star of an experimental and esoteric extravaganza that’s contained within a soundstage, with a series of soul-baring monologues that get progressively more strange as they meander towards delirium. But is anyone watching?

Embracing the camp energy of ‘70s and ‘80s television variety shows, Kramer cross-pollinates sketch character comedy and musical with Beckettian monologues (which Haselberg delivers with relish) injecting her signature oversaturated aestheticism into the format with playful flair. She does this in a way that doesn’t so much rely on replicating a funky and depthless retrofuturism through pastiche as it does on unsettling nostalgic signifiers with a show that exists within an intricate psychological vacuum, where the ego goes to live and die. The production design, costuming, makeup and musical interludes come together and concoct a gorgeous feast for the eyes, and the film’s hallucinatory atmosphere is enhanced by its assault-on-the-senses approach to editing.

Kramer fires on all cylinders in terms of imagery and tone – both are perfectly executed and entirely captivating. Aesthetically, this experiment proves to be a masterful exercise in high camp. Yet once the beauty and zaniness of the picture fully set in, and as Sissy’s façade cracks and the artifice deteriorates through a series of hallucinations, the storytelling begins to falter and feel less focused. The bubblegum pops. Distortions allow the aforementioned unhinged spirit to take full control.

Whereas the analog horror elements seemingly attempt to manufacture a creepy and unsettling atmosphere, they fall flat, inducing instead a confused sensory overload that makes the demand for our full attention all the more difficult to embrace. It’s a shame for an 80 minute long film with such strong ingredients to overstay its welcome, and in struggling to sustain momentum, Give Me Pity! is ultimately held back from the same awkward pacing that kept Please Baby, Please from being a perfect film. That said, all the ingredients are there, so it’s down to the right measurements to ensure all flavours come together in harmony.

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