Feed

"Feed", to adopt a food metaphor, left me hungry. The premise of this film is excellent - it's the first movie I've been aware of that tackles the bizarre subject of feeders.

Sadly, the strong cast is let down by sloppy direction. The film just isn't very cohesive. In the right hands, this could have been a very tense affair and a memorable cult movie. As it stands, the film lacks tension and any element of the fear factor. At the end of the day, it's okay but instantly forgettable.

The film scrapes a "7" as the subject matter is interesting and the acting is very good....it's just a shame that butter-fingered director Brett Leonard manages to drop the ball. In the right hands, this could have been a simply excellent film.

This was an interesting, disgusting and strange film. This film tells the story of a serial killer with a fetish for obese women who force feeds them and takes bets online as to when they will die.

What I thought interesting about this film was that even though this guy was obviously insane and he's sole goal was to kill these woman he had such a love and tenderness for them. He spoiled them with everything they desired, he washed them tenderly, entertained them by being silly, there was no end to what he would do for these women. Of course, with his dark side there were some times where he would snap and since the women loved him so much they would do anything for him, even if it meant being in a lot of pain and feeling sick.

I enjoyed this movie and lots of credit for being original. I also have to add that this movie has a kick ass ending as well! ZombieSteak.com - Discover a new world of horror films, designed just for you.

Phillip, Australian cyber crime officer, searches the seedy side of the internet, seeking illicit porn and snuff sites. After his last assignment in Germany, arresting a man wanting to eat himself and his accomplice. Phillip finds a site for Feeders and Gainers, where people (the feeders) feed food to the gainers, making them overtly overweight unable to move. Running the site, Michael Carter has his latest woman to feed, Deirdre, with an abundance of food for her to beg for. Without authority, Phillip flies to America to track Michael and stop this disturbing act.

At a time when Australia is rebuilding its film industry; with great films Look Both Way, Wolf Creek, Little Fish and The Proposition, it was only a matter of time for a movie like Feed would make its way out of the woodwork. Feed is a twisted, very twisted, film on humanities consumption and the amount of food we're eating. With our society so concerned of being thin, Feed spins that notion on its head, where bigger people are more beautiful; while taking it to the n'th degree with Dedrae weighing over six hundred pounds.

Like many films of this caliber, the hallmarks of a small budget are easily seen, yet isn't that the 'charm' of these films; rough camera work, corny dialog, overblown acting and a plot that doesn't completely make sense. As Feed starts off interesting, it takes a turn for the worst. Dropping the psychological mind game Michael was playing with Phillip, Feed turns into a chase film, becoming tedious with an overly drawn out ending. Its the move into familiar, predictable territory, where it was so unfamiliar to start off with.

Like before, the acting is so overblown. Patrick Thompson's tormented cop verges idiotic, gruffing his way along. Alex O'Loughlin fails to evoke a creepy vibe for Michael. The best acting came from Gabby Millgate, donning the fat suit while repeating "Feed Me".

Does Feed put you off food, no; Morgan Spurlocks documentary Super Size Me had more of a revulsion towards food.

In Sidney, the Interpol agent Phillip Jackson (Patrick Thompson) investigates crimes in Internet with his partner Nigel (Matthew Le Nevez). After a mission in Hamburg, Phillip has troubles in the relationship with his liberal girlfriend Abbey (Rose Ashton) that tags him "chauvinist pig". While researching the web, Phillip finds a bizarre site where a man shows obese women being fed by him. He finds the origin of the site in Ohio, and without authorization, he travels to USA pursuing the pervert Michael Metszencalmpf, a.k.a. Michael Carter (Alex O'Loughlin). When Phil meets Michael, he surprisingly knows who Phil is; further, Michael tells that what he is doing is not wrong since he is releasing fat women from the standards of thinness imposed by the society. However, Phil discovers the true motives of Michael, beginning a personal war against the deranged criminal.

"Feed" is bizarre, sick, disgusting; I have no doubts about it. However, it is also a scary and original story, with well developed characters and situations, and very well acted and directed. The association of the unpleasant plot with "Se7en" or the first's works of David Cronenberg or Takashi Miike is quite immediate. Michael is a clever psychopath, and his explanations about evolution and fashion standards are very impressive. Phillip is an impulsive detective that goes deeper in his investigations, but has his own demons in the closet. The result is a fascinating mouse and cat duel with a surprising conclusion. The gruesome "Feed" is not recommended to audiences of blockbusters or commercial movies; but for viewers that aim for a disturbing film that breaks taboos, they will certainly enjoy this movie. My vote is se7en.

Title (Brazil): "Feed – Fome Assassina" ("Feed – Assassin Hunger")

"Feed" is an impressive new psycho-thriller, definitely not without flaws or weaknesses but nonetheless capable of providing a compelling story as well as a handful of genuine shocks and/or repulsive images. The plot often gets compared to the overrated 90's thriller "Seven", but "Feed" is a lot more realistic, or at least the most basic elements in the screenplay are. This movie primarily handles about extreme sexual fetishes and, as much as we'd all like to deny it, they really do exist. The movie opens with a fictional re-telling of the Arnim Meiwes murder-case. This odd German guy cooked and ATE a man whom he met through the internet, because they both deeply desired to experience this. Onwards to the main storyline, which revolves on a twisted persona who fattens a helpless woman until she weighs more than 600 pounds. His intentions with her may be typical movie-material (he video cams her on his internet pages and accepts bets on when she will die), but actual fetishes like this are real and they're nearly impossible to understand. The scenes in which Michael nourishes his obese muse Deirdre disgusting hamburgers and even shoves funnels and plastic tubes down her gullet are unpleasantly perplexing and, yes, maybe even a bit disturbing. However, "Feed" loses a lot of its power as soon as the story too obviously turns into a typical power showdown between the evil mastermind and the obsessive copper. Aussie cyber detective Philippe Jackson, whose passionate sex life we also get to see in great detail, stumbles upon Michael's well-protected website and single-handedly travels to the States to put a stop to it. The maniac once again turns out to be traumatized since childhood and, naturally, he's very eloquent and always has a genius speech ready whenever someone points out his sickness to him. These are some clichés "Feed" regretfully suffers from, but it remains a clever thriller and SO much better than the mainstream crap that reaches the theaters. Brett "The Dead Pit" Leonard's directing is solid and he surely makes the most out of a tiny budget. Alex O'Loughlin's portrayal of the weirdo Michael occasionally reminded me about Ted Levine in "Silence of the Lambs", and that's always a good thing. The make-up effects are pretty convincing, most notably the jaw-dropping fat suit they put on poor actress Gabby Millgate. The creators' twisted sense of humor is extra emphasized by the soundtrack, which contains ambiguous 60's songs like "Yummy Yummy, love in my Tummy", "Cherish" and "Lips like Sugar". Time to wrap up with some food-related terms & expressions: "Feed" is at times finger-licking good and certainly recommended to the horror-connoisseurs among us!