Written by John Edward Betancourt Still from Sasha Rainbow’s GRAFTED Courtesy of Matt Grace/Shudder.
We are taught from a supremely early age, that looks and appearances are supremely unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Because what truly matters is the person we become, the inner beauty we display and of course… what we contribute to the world. So, to worry about the clothes we wear, the scuffs on our face or even markings that we are born with… is silly to say the least, and we of course… hold to that advice and head out into the world with our head held high. Because we are ready to display the person we are, and all that we can offer the world, and it doesn’t take long for us to learn… that while this lesson has merit, few in the world listen to it or follow it in the slightest.
For grade school is filled to the brim with people who worry about image overall and are willing to bully folks who don’t fit the mold they so expect. Not to mention, that immature nonsense doesn’t end when we leave high school and college. For so many hold onto it and believe it matters most and well, it’s toxic thinking for certain. The kind that does in fact, break people along the way. Because of the undue pressure it puts upon them, and they will of course… go to extremes to make sure they fit in. Because despite that lesson, folks eventually believe it to be true that image matters above all else. If anything, this stark reality and the ugliness that comes from it is top of mind today, simply because it is put on display in stunning detail in a new feature on Shudder entitled, Grafted. Which is a story that introduces us to a brilliant orphan named Wei who has come to live with an exchange family in the hopes of starting over in life. For she has suffered great loss and bounced around, and all she wants now is to find a little acceptance, a little peace and continue her father’s work. Which involved figuring out how to graft skin so that burn victims, and anyone concerned about their appearance from other disfiguring injuries or markings that displease them… can enjoy a sense of self-worth in a culture that tends to stare. Work that her father employed because of his own port-wine birthmark, one that Wei has as well. But while at first it seems that she might be able to make new friends and find the agency she needs for her work, it doesn’t take long for popularity contests and concerns about image to pummel her psyche and that’s bad news for those involved. For Wei is at her wits end emotionally and they will push her over the line, wherein she will do whatever she must to complete her work… and fit in. 
Which is… the perfect way to explore those central themes and offer up a subtle lesson. For it does present the world as it is, a place where image and standing matters, and that may be shocking to see, but that’s the point. To inform us that the world is not quite as we see it, and it most certainly sees us in a specific light topically, and that allows for us… to really see what kind of a hideous impact that worldview has upon others. Since we watch Wei, basically collapse before our eyes in real time. Since she goes from hopeful outsider, one willing to invite others into her heart to prove reality wrong, to a broken soul. One that cannot stand the cruelty imparted upon her, to the point where she outright snaps and commits to hideous acts. Which brings forth a bleak and devastating story, one that does the horror genre proud.
Simply because, with there being a plot thread involving skin grafting, this movie quickly and easily slips into the realm of body horror. Courtesy of moments that are graphic and gory and outright unsettling. Mainly because of how far Wei is willing to go to fit in, which in this story involves literally robbing the face of those who push her too far. Which gives rise to ooey and gooey visuals that would make David Cronenberg wince with disgust, and of course… we are very much privy to the horrors of the human psyche in this story as well. Since Wei does showcase the hideous darkness, we carry, and what it can accomplish when unleashed upon the world, and all of these elements blend together to provide us with a stunningly brilliant horror film, one that harbors incredible depth, and as mentioned… a lesson. In that people are more than their clothes or their appearances. But that for some reason… we hold to the stupid stuff, and we have to stop with that. Because we are causing harm, we are imparting cruelty and all it would take to change it… is just a moment of kindness. A smidge of acceptance and that makes this a fascinating must-see feature. One that has everything a horror fan could ask for. Since it has depth, meaning, solid scares and buckets of gore, and a fine lesson that we should all hold to. And hopefully this movie motivates everyone… to just take a minute and offer acceptance to a stranger on any given day. Because who knows, if we all just offered up a little bit of that in our travels, maybe a day will come quickly where that age lesson holds weight and becomes a standard. Watch ‘Grafted’
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