Grafted

In Grafted, we follow a socially awkward exchange student from China who is trying to fit in with the popular girls while also striving to make her deceased father proud. She's highly intelligent and, just like her father, works on groundbreaking research capable of restoring human tissue.

After a promising opening scene, the movie introduces us to our main characters, consisting primarily of our protagonist, Wei; her aunt, Ling; her cousin, Angela; and Angela's best friends, Jasmine and Eve. There is also a teacher named Paul, who takes a strong interest in Wei's rather unethical work which could become a problem.

Once we get to know the characters, we spend time with Wei as she makes progress in her research while struggling in vain to fit in with Angela and her friends. The film leans into teen drama, unfortunately focusing too much on this aspect rather than her research, which is undoubtedly the more intriguing element that audiences will want to see. The theme of beauty ideals has long been explored through the subgenre of body horror, as seen recently with The Substance. Grafted inevitably draws comparisons to that film, which works to its detriment, as The Substance is far superior. As the movie delves into teen drama, you find yourself waiting for the body horror to take center stage and push boundaries. While it does reach that point eventually, it's not nearly enough.

Without giving away spoilers, I can say that at a certain moment, a transformation occurs, and from that point on, the story starts to fall apart. Things stop making sense, and the film glosses over logical inconsistencies, expecting the audience to overlook them. The pacing also slows down, and moments that should have been impactful fail to pack a punch. The movie occasionally drifts into comedy, which is a fitting addition though. Towards the very end, body horror enthusiasts will finally get something to enjoy, but the film would have been far more effective if it had leaned into those moments more frequently.

Unfortunately, the script demands a lot from the viewer, and if you're not fully on board, it becomes difficult to immerse yourself in the story. The premise had so much more potential, and while the concept was strong, certain narrative choices made it hard to stay engaged. Despite this, Grafted is still a decent watch, and its body horror elements are well-executed, but it could have been much more enjoyable. [5,8/10]

There's some compelling drama in the first half of the movie. Things spiral out of control in an organic, chaotic way.

We get a very strong character development.

It's body horror but nothing too crazy. It could have gone for a little more gore but it's adequate how it is.

This is not an incredible movie by any means. But it has a fair amount of compelling story that is often lacking.

It deserves more than 5. But also doesn't have enough of an "it" factor to be a great movie.

There's some character and situational cliches.

It's a very entertaining movie with some emotional elements.

Ultimately it's a pleasantly average movie. Not sure why I'm writing this review other than 5/10 seeming a little too low.

It's something you can throw on if you need a movie.

From the very first scene, Grafted, directed by Sasha Rainbow, pulls no punches. The opening is gruesome watching the protagonist's father slice open his mouth with a razor before dying sets a disturbing tone for the film. It's easy to see why the main character is so deeply traumatized by his death, and why she becomes obsessed with continuing his work.

A Descent into Obsession After her father's death, she earns a scholarship to a university in New Zealand and moves in with her aunt. What starts as a quiet and reserved personality soon unravels as she fixates on her father's research--a special formula designed to fix skin deformities and blemishes. The idea itself isn't entirely new in film, but the way Grafted explores it, especially through her psychological unraveling, makes it feel fresh.

Mistreatment and Isolation Her obsession grows more dangerous over time, fueled by the way people treat her, especially her cousin, Angie, who is anything but welcoming. It's no surprise that she starts making bad choices, but once she crosses a certain line, there's no going back. Her mistakes compound, pushing her further into desperation, and eventually, murder.

From Quiet to Psychotic One of the most compelling parts of the film is watching her transformation. She goes from being this shy, socially awkward person to someone completely unhinged. The shift feels gradual yet inevitable, which makes it even more disturbing.

A Flawed but Underrated Film While Grafted isn't a perfect film--the acting, script, and editing could have been stronger--the concept and execution still make it a gripping watch. The psychological depth behind her actions is well thought out, and despite her horrifying choices, you can't help but understand how she got there. The film definitely deserves a higher rating than it has received.

Going to live with her aunt, an aspiring medical student tries to fit in with her new family and their friends while continuing to advance the studies her father set out to accomplish, but when she's forced to use it before she's ready finds her life upended and is forced to take drastic actions to see her work.

This was an overall enjoyable and highly effective genre outing. One of the stronger aspects of this one is the generally solid setup that offers a fantastic starting point for the type of material present in this one. Going with the idea of her attempting to ingratiate herself within her new family following the death of her father which means attempting to make friends with her cousin and her group of friends at school since they're nearly the same age only failing due to her inherent quirkiness compared to them provides a nice bit of conflict while she tries to help grieve her dead father that brings her there to begin with. Stuck with her antiquated notions and beliefs that conflict with their more modern approaches to life and social upbringing, the way she starts to loosen up and let go of herself so that she can get a fun role reversal as times go on involving the change in personality going forward. As well, there's also plenty to like with the growing realization of what her work is actually accomplishing. The initial stages of her advancement in the class and what's wrong with the deviant teacher show off nicely her desire to finish her father's formula and what it means to her, even going so far as to graphically mutilate herself to show that the whole thing is worthwhile. When the opportunity presents itself to use the formula and attempt to maintain a sense of social order, this one becomes a more overtly traditional genre effort with some gruesome kills, bloody stabbings, close-up surgical sequences, and even some fun stalking scenes along the way which has a generally fun time leading into the solid climax introducing some fantastic body-horror into the equation that's effectively utilized. Overall, these manage to give this one quite a lot to like about it. There are a few issues with this one that hold it back. One of the main pressing factors is the seemingly illogical manner in which she manages to work her work through her friend group without anyone noticing the duplicity of everything happening around them. The physical difference between her and the victim she takes out and assumes control of is quite remarkable, not to mention an obvious height and weight difference that shouldn't fool anyone who knew the victim. Even more apparent is how little she attempts to mimic their style or mannerisms so it just looks even more apparent how lame the duplicity really is and how she attempts to get away with everything. The other issue here is the abrupt and sudden change into turning into a straightforward slasher where the whole point of her going into this type of figure is somewhat obscure which is never really built up to making for a few drawbacks that bring this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Not a whole lot to say. Actors did their best with a terrible script, nonsensical screenplay and an average director. So many plot holes, abundant head scratching moments that pull you out of the experience entirely...

The average-ish performances earned the movie 3 stars, but they are clearly hindered by an amateur writer and a woeful screenplay, not a whole lot makes sense, nor does it seem plausible. And I mean that in a way that it still doesn't make sense or seem plausible when you suspend disbelief, like you have to with most horror movies (although there is nothing scary about this movie, it plays more like a drama-comedy).

The premise is good on paper, and with a proper writer, director and screenplay (and half a million extra $'s), this could have been a solid 6-7/10. Alas, it is nothing more than a below par evening time-killer.