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Plot Summary

Wei has always been a daddy’s girl, so it is only right that she decided to be a scientist like her father. However, with her dad’s work considered unethical, outside the bounds of what is considered legal to do, continuing the experiment that killed him has posed a challenge. But, not at university, living with her aunt in New Zealand, there is hope Wei can finish what her father started – but with various people around her getting in the way, it seems Wei may not get to change the narrative on her father’s story.

Character Descriptions

Wei (Joyena Sun)

Wei lost her beloved father at a young age and took up his work to remain close to him. However, between the work she pursues and a notable mark across her chin, Wei has lived an isolated life, on the assumption that she is hideous. But she has hope that her father’s work will offer a “cure” for not only her but others who have burns or anything akin to skin deformities.

Review

Characters

Getting Invested: On The Fence (73)

No one in “Grafted” really stands out like you may want or need them to. Wei is the wallflower who wants to bring honor to her father, cure her lineage of a potential curse, and seemingly also wants friends. Luckily, romance isn’t also a factor, but even with her Chinese culture helping her stand out, there is something bland about her.

Then, in terms of the mean girls, who encompass Wei’s cousins and friends, “Grafted” doesn’t do better by them. While, like Wei, there is one who is different, Tongan, and there is a push to show her appreciation for Wei since she, too, is an outsider, it doesn’t go far enough to help the film create someone you can fully attach to and hope they never discover what Wei is doing or end up on her bad side.

World-Building & Culture

Just A Taste: On The Fence (75)

With Wei being Chinese and “Grafted” taking place in New Zealand, there is some sense of this not taking place in an undisclosed place that has no value to the story. From how Wei’s aunt berates her daughter, Wei’s cousin, and the aforementioned Tongan who speaks of her feelings of being foreign despite how well she has assimilated, there is a sense that there is something to “Grafted” beyond body horror, but I wouldn’t say it is that strong.

Story & Pacing

A Singular Focus Leaves Little Room For Much Else: On The Fence (74)

Wei’s only goal is to complete her father’s work, and it appears many people either are trying to steal it or complicate her life. Rarely does this lead to interesting foes, even in the case of Wei’s professor, who is sleeping with at least one student. This makes the film, barely above an hour and a half, feel longer than it needs to be since, as noted above, the characters don’t have the special something needed to get into “Grafted.”

Diverse Hooks & (Re)Watch Value

It’s All About The Body Horror: On The Fence (76)

If you come into “Grafted” looking for body horror, that is perhaps the sole thing it delivers well and consistently. Now, is it Cronenberg-level body horror? No. It isn’t enough to make having a snack while watching this seem ill-advised. However, you do have to admire the fusing of flesh and how, at times, it creates an almost “The Substance” level of horror and commentary about beauty, minus the factor of how aging comes into play.

Because of this, the hook of “Grafted” is minimal, and once you see what Wei’s experiments reproduce, there is no reason to watch this again.

Overall

Our Rating (74/100): Mixed (Divisive)

While “Grafted” certainly delivers in the body horror component, unfortunately, its story and characters don’t deliver what’s needed to get you invested, so you’re left just fixated on the assumption of escalation when it comes to Wei’s experiments, and wondering as things go wrong, what the end result will be?

“Grafted” Film Details

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Release Date: January 24, 2025
Initially Available On/Via: Shudder
Advisory Film Rating: Rated TV-MA
Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Non-English (Chinese)
Distributor(s): Shudder
Director(s): Sasha Rainbow
Writer(s): Sasha Rainbow, Lee Murray, Mia Maramara, Hweiling Ow

Content Information

Dialog: Cursing
Violence: Gore, Blood, Torture, Self-Harm, Notable Fight Scenes
Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Body Horror, Drinking, Smoking

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Listed Under Categories: Movies, Mixed (Divisive)

Grafted (2025) Review – A Body Horror Film Heavily Reliant On Visuals