PLOT SUMMARY: Mary is accused of murder. As she gives her statement, she recounts the strange event that changed her life forever.
In the 1840s, there was still no electricity, women were supposed to wear long gowns and caps so not an inch of their skin could be seen. Men were thought to be ruthless, at least in period dramas such as this one where they are far from sympathetic towards women. Also, they think its okay to be violent and cruel to women so that they may learn their place.
Rice was not only seen as food but also as means to punish people by making them kneel on it.
And forget about having an affair, that too if the couple belong to the same gender.
Also, for some reason, maids were not easy to get so no matter what crime they commit, the families retained their maids.
THE LAST THING MARY SAW Movie Plot
Mary is wearing a blindfold, blood oozing from her eyes. She is being told to explain all the events leading up to this point where she had to wear a blindfold.
A flashback reveals Mary kneeling next to the family's maid, Eleanor. They are kneeling on rice and Eleanor is unable to take the discomfort any longer. The family which consists of Mary's parents, Mary's brother Matthew, the matriarch, the grandfather and some other men who weren't properly introduced. It doesn't matter.
They all hate Mary for having illicit relations with Eleanor. Her crime is actually watching Eleanor with longing; that's enough for the mother to decide her daughter and her girlfriend must kneel on rice. Do they cook the rice later on? Otherwise it is quite a waste.
Anyway, they are told to recite bible verses which Eleanor is unable to do so. Her punishment, to continue kneeling on rice. Mary's family makes their daughter also say that Eleanor must keep kneeling. Eleanor looks on betrayed but gets back right up and continues her punishment.
The family thinks Mary must have learned her lesson, but nope. Mary and Eleanor are in the attic and Matthew comes to the room below, stands on a box and gets curious about why his sister is punished. He sees the two girls hug and wants a better look unaware that he is about to pay for being overly curious.
He yells when a splinter goes up his foot while successfully spoiling Mary and Eleanor's mood. The girls now want a secret spot to lie down and stare at each other. Eleanor makes a deal with Theodore, the guard. She would bake him bread and he would let her and Mary use the chicken coop.
At night, the deal is made, Mary and Eleanor lie on hay and keep staring at each other, a luxury they don't have inside the house.
This goes on for days until one day Eleanor is asked why she's always baking bread. She can't make her trade that night because she doesn't want to make an excuse that everyone in the house eats so much bread they keep running out. For Mary, she keeps her mouth shut and for Mary she learns bible verses and prays with the family.
Mary's father notices Eleanor making an effort and relays it to his wife who isn't going to he swayed so easily. They don't want to remove the maid even though considering what happens later, maybe they should have just let her go. Or maybe Eleanor should have taken Mary's suggestion and run away but like she says then, Mary's family would find her no matter what and she was tired of hiding.
Then one night an intruder comes into the house. He has a mark on his face that he says he got when people tried to burn off the extra growth on his face. He forces himself on Eleanor who gets pissed off enough to cut off his finger but not before she acquires black poison balls from him that Theordore had also given to the girls to poison the chickens.
Eleanor and Mary concoct a very cruel and dangerous plan.
THE LAST THING MARY SAW Ending Explained with Spoilers
The first thing Eleanor does is poison the matriarch. She is found on her bed with black vomit all over her face.
Her funeral is held, the intruder gives Eleanor more black poison balls, that she puts in everyone's tea.
The matriarch is laying dead and her finger keeps twitching and the family members consider cutting it off when it suddenly stops moving and turns black. This happens when the intruder is still at home but is then sent away.
Mary's father suspects something afoul and exchanges his cup with Matthew, while watching Mary. She doesn't care. Matthew was spying on her after all.
One by one the family members drop like flies, all of them spewing black vomit. Mary's father is the only one left. He watches his son slam his face on the table, being the first one to succumb to murder.
Mary's father watches all of this in plain shock but isn't given a chance to day anything. The intruder returns and shoots him. He points a gun at Eleanor . Mary stands before her but Eleanor moves to the side, realizing there's no escaping the intruder. He shoots her dead.
Mary is weeping when the matriarch gets up from her coffin. She comes up behind Mary and tells her that the trouble began when the book had been brought at home and the story was read: The Old woman of Bathsheba. The matriarch says its about her and that she must now dole out punishment to those who sinned. Mary must be punished by having her vision taken away.
Mary doesn't struggle as the matriarch pokes her eyes out. The last thing she sees in her mind is laying beside Eleanor.
In the present, Mary is sentenced to hanging. She is hung from a tree and dies but just then her finger begins twitching.
The movie is painfully slow and the lighting dull. The intruder doesn't really add much to the story even though the synopsis claims it to be.
Scale scale: 1.5/5
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