Give Me Pity! (2022) Review

Usually associated with Christmas and appearing as an extended episode of a popular sitcom or show, peppered with guest appearances, TV specials are not something that we in the UK are that aware of.

On the other side of the pond however the concept is far more familiar with spectaculars, as they were then called, popping up first in the 1950’s as a new idea to encourage larger numbers of viewers to already established shows.

Over the years stand out TV specials have included the infamous and awful Star Wars Holiday Special and more recently The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special along side a slew of celebrity calendar based celebrations featuring singers and stars from Lady Gaga & The Muppets to Mariah Carey to Bill Murray and more.

Taking this concept and superbly flipping it inside out, writer and director Amanda Kramer’s Give Me Pity! sees actor, dancer, singer and all round entertainer Sissy St. Claire (Irrational Man and American Crime Story’s Sophie von Haselberg) take to the small screen in her very own TV special.

Presented as if we just tuned into the show, Sissy’s live event sees her presenting various skits, musical numbers, monologues and dance extravaganzas all for the audiences pleasure and applause.

However something is very wrong and the glitzy and glamours show soon starts to descend into a dark and disjointed nightmare with Sissy at the centre plagued by a masked man who seems to mean her a lot of harm. Soon the psychedelic insanity seeps into every scene with the viewer and performer equally unaware what is real any more.

Perfectly parodying the format and stylings of the TV special circa 1970 to 1980 Kramer crams in every cliche she can. Sissy moves between emotive modern dance and energetic disco routines in The Youngest Widow and The American Number which sees Sissy in sexy clothes, saluting, smoking and shooting guns, to uncomfortable comedic sketches like The Psychic full of cheesy jokes and strange spooky side characters.

We also get overly dramatic song’s like Even Though.. which is all about the people who doubted and criticised her, as well as cloying direct to camera audience interactions such as Beauty Ritual where she opens up about her self doubt and the letters section where she answers mail from her doting fans and seemingly her deranged detractors as well.

Behind every section is both the foreboding spectre of something evil and Sissy’s deep rooted insecurities, the two things both inexplicably linked and gradually growing stronger and more sinister as the show goes on.

Central to all of this is the amazing performance from Sophie von Haselberg who is pitch perfect as the vain, fame hungry and fatally deluded super star who is so desperate for the attention and adoration of others.

Delivering just enough of an unhinged edge she both enthrals and repels the audience, laying bare the face of celebrity and the soul sucking symbiotic relationship between a performer and their public.

As Sissy breaks down so does the entire show with the sections slipping into the surreal, the transitional cards becoming more creepy and the set itself falling into disarray as it is covered in detritus and debris. By the climax, which is the song Give Me Pity, Sissy is seemingly emotionally and physically destroyed, crawling around on the floor miming out of synch while her fellow cast members bow and wave to the clapping crowds.

Was it all deliberate? Was it all in her head? These questions remain unanswered and for some this, along with the entire concept, will cause frustration. For others willing to take a unexpected and unnerving ride Give Me Pity! rewards them with a unique horror experience and sensation central performance in a TV special unlike anything you would have every seen before.

Bulldog Film Distribution presents Give Me Pity! in cinemas and on demand 10 November

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