Feed

This truly is a great film, marred only by a plot hole which is quickly overcome as the viewer is swept along by the storyline.

A burned out cop who's job it is to track down paedophiles and sex offenders through their internet sites is alerted to some deeply disturbing goings on when he comes across a site dedicated to "feeders" - men who literally feed women to gigantic proportiions for their own (and other's) sexual gratification. The thing is, these women are complicit in this as they believe that the feeding and their acceptance of food is an expression of their deep "love" for each other. He quickly figures out that all is not quite as it seems and that there may be a serial killer out there who quite literally feeds women to death. The film is about his pursuit of the killer and his tussels with his own inner demons.

What makes this film a cut above most other low-budget exploitation films is that it explores a whole range of complex issues within the context of a darkly humourous exterior. What if the person being killed actually "wants" this to happen? What are our own hidden motivations, and how far would we go to express or receive "love"? Is the killer actually a cold hearted killer, or does he truly care for these women?

The film is packed with ideas and leaves you thinking for a long time afterwards. Visually, it has a saturated colour pallete which, depending on whats happenning on screen creates either a dream-like quality or a feeling of nausea. Coupled with imaginative use of camera angles and some great shots this makes the film stand out from the crowd.

Unlike the majority of movies, the director's commentary is really interesting and is a great addition to the DVD - it also fills in the hole in the plot mentioned at the start of this review. If you are a fan of quirky, dark thrillers this is definately the film for you!!

Foremost, I think anyone intending to watch this true-to-life film should be warned of two important points before sitting down to dimmed lights and a cup of coffee. Firstly, I would strongly recommend leaving the popcorn un-popped - there are scenes towards the end of this film that will leave some of you with a more squeamish nature literally gagging (you have been warned...). Secondly, for those of you of a religious inclination, there are one or two scenes within the film that you might find offensive (there is a scene, for example, where Michael (the "feeder") portrayed as the "saviour" to many of the "gainers" he feeds, is juxtaposed with the Eucharest from Holy Communion).

Briefly, "...'Feed' is a heavy-weight thrill-ride through the depths of depravity. A veteran of cyberporn investigations, Australian cop Philip Jackson is no stranger to the dangerous side of sexual fetishes. He may have found his sickest case yet when he discovers a sinister side to an American website devoted to fat-admiring men and obese women called "feeders" and "gainers". Could the man behind it all be force-feeding missing women to death?"

I will address the good points about this film before I get to the brilliant points. Firstly, what is notable about the film is it's clever use of colour. Given the low-budget nature of the film, the use of lighting takes the place of the use of special effects in so-called "bigger films". Not only does the lighting serve to differentiate geographical locations (scenes set in Germany, for example, are largely in blue, whereas the USA is represeneted by yellow)but it also reminds us of the conflicting ("love/hate") relationship the "gainer" has with food. Secondly, the nature of the "horror" in this film is very unique - all praise (and five stars) to the director, not only for picking an original subject, but also for moving away from the traditional slasher/stalker movie of the 90's. What makes this film so different is that the victim doesn't actually realise that they ARE the victim. Even in the final scenes when Philip is trying to explain to Deidre that Michael is trying to kill her, she sides with Michael - forcing Philip to shoot her dead. Praise must also be given to a well-chosen soundtrack - look out for the inclusion of "Tainted Love", a song that seems to encapsulate the true nature of the film. Finally, I must also mention the very final scene of the film. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet but even though, as a hardcore horror fan, I saw the ending coming a mile-off, it still left me with a haunted feeling long-after the credits began to roll.

What makes the film truly brilliant, however, is not the acting or the story itself, but the moral questions it raises. There is no black or white in this story, only grey: to what extent are Michael and his fellow "feeders" helping to give people freedom of choice (quote: "I want to be eaten")? Is Michael really a sociopath given that he is not embarking upon any "anti-social behaviour" per se, or is it Philip who fits the bill given that he breaks into Michael's home? Isn't Michael just trying to restore a sense of "true beauty" by re-iterating the sense of femininity that has been lost through the pressures of fashion? Whose "abuse" is worse - Michael's, for feeding his women, or Philip's for beating his? Is Michael REALLY leading his women to the slaughter (in much the same way as a snuff movie) or would the women have become overweight anyway? Although it's a crime to starve someone, is it really a crime to feed them? Who is the "master" in this scenario - is it really the "feeder" because his ability to control leads to a sense of sub-dominate dependency or is it the "gainer" who dictates the daily routine of the pair? Whose "love affair" lasts the longest - that of Michael and Deidre or that of Philip and Abbey? All of the aforementioned questions are raised in the film, though few are answered - leading us to a sense of thoughtfulness that modern horror rarely does.

For those of you who prefer to let the story-line flow and not over-analyse everything - don't worry, there is enough here to keep you happy. The little touches in themselves would give even the most serious heart a chuckle. I can't finish this review without mentioning by far the funniest and tongue-in-cheek moment in the film... watch out for Michael dancing to "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie..." on the end of Deidre's bed and tell me you didn't laugh out loud at the out and out irony ;)

This is bound to get some awful reviews, and I can see why. At first i really thought this was a terrible movie, it seemed cheap and without concept, but after a while my mind was dramatically changed.

The whole jist of the movie is about making a monsterous point about a monsterous american and underground fetish. Feeders are people, usualy from america, who feed up fat woman for there own perverted pleasure. It's a sick thing to do and a very good idea to base a sick movie on, leaving a completley stomach churning experiance guilt free. This film has a point to it and although some of the acting isnt top notch and it had the budget of a school play, the director did a decent job. They went a bit OTT on the camera angles at first but this soon died down. The actor who played the killer (Michael) was actually very impressive and did a very decent job displaying this loveable serial killer. Loveable serial killer? Yes, you know.. your Jon Doe from Seven, your Kakihara, your Chucky. The movie had style and very deep suspence, which alot of hollywood rubbish tries hard to accomplish, but fails. I believe some of the sex scenes were perhaps slightly tasteless but well directed and all part of the very subtle characterisation which there is alot of, and well done. All in all the film is cheap and budgeted, but the direction is well done, alhough giving off a slight "i just got out of college" feeling. But the story, script, and screenplay is eccelent and far surpasses that of multi million pound movies this year.

My advice is, if you are one of those "Oh this will be crap" viewer's, then dont bother watching it. But those who apreciate what Miike does, i think you will see many similarities and enjoy the film and the point it tries to make. The ending is spot on, enjoy it. Don't be cynical.