Cannibal

Cannibal (2005)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Based on the true story of Armin "Rotenburg Cannibal" Meiwes, the German man who posted a wanted message on the internet looking for someone who was willing to be killed and eaten. Directed Marian Dora has created one of the most vile, repulsive and disgusting films I've ever seen. Having seen all the Italian cannibal films I thought I could handle anything but that wasn't the case with this film. Just how bad was it? I actually had to stop the film and throw up once. Reluctantly I went back and watched the film and just grew sicker and sicker. The film leaves nothing to the imagination and shows us everything. The director has only around ten lines of dialogue and everything else is just built up with atmosphere and mood. This atmosphere is of pure nastiness and this comes through in the final third of the film where the killing and eating actually starts. Apparently this film follows the real events very closely and lets just say it starts with a penis being cut off, fried and then eaten. This is where I lost it but the film keeps going. It's hard to rate this film because it's technically well made but I really can't recommend it to anyone due to the subject matter and brutality.

Marian Dora's 'Cannibal' is based on the real-life case of German sicko Armin Meiwes, the Rotenburg Cannibal, who killed and ate Bernd Jürgen Brandes, the willing 'flesh' he found via an online forum. Sparing no detail in its depiction of the gruesome crime, the film is one of the most gruelling viewing experiences I have ever endured, easily rivalling such disturbing works as August Underground Mordum and Aftermath.

Those who successfully make it past the film's scenes of man-lovin' will be confronted with some of the most disgustingly realistic and gut-churning scenes ever committed to film, including a penis severing guaranteed to leave men squirming in their seat, the nauseating sight of the almost-dead victim vomiting and emptying his bowels as he is carried to a barn for slaughter, the prolonged butchering of his corpse by his naked killer (including time out for a bit of entrail fondling and stump licking), and the final consumption of the meat.

While it's hardly what I would call an enjoyable experience (it certainly won't be getting a re-watch from me anytime soon), Cannibal is an effectively disturbing piece of no-holds-barred film-making that succeeds in reminding the viewer what a messed up world we live in. For being so balls-out (rather too literally at times), I reckon it's gotta be worth at least 7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

The film's best aspects - THE GORE. I am a medical professional and work emergency medicine, so let me say first hand this gore is next level. So much so I'm skeptical how it is created morally... To be quite blunt, I believe MD uses animal carcasses to film and manipulates these to resemble humans moreso.

The good - the ability to disturb the viewer. Amongst the divine homosexually unappealing nature and over the top "awkward" individual personality this movie digs deep. The plot (although small) drags on appropriately to ensure your mind is unable to escape what it is seeing. Some may find this "boring, slow, unnecessary" but I ensure you this director knows what he is doing; and he does it well.

The bad - quite frankly for the genre there isn't much bad. If your here as a result of any other pieces of his work (MDE / Voyage etc) you know what your getting into and this movie offers a decent plot in addition to expected content. If not you'll hate this movie as it DOES NOT appeal to "Hollywood horror" fans.

Overall 7/10 would recommend to the few true horror fans. Family and friends not so much.

Marian Dora is like the Lars Von Trier of extreme horror. Naturalistic and artistic, Dora creates a language all his own in his films. Cannibal is a fairly accurate retelling of the Armin Meiwes case. A quick search of Meiwes will let you know exactly what you're going to get with Cannibal. Dora has an amazing ability to showcase the most depraved acts with a sense of beauty. Not for weak stomachs.

"Cannibal" by Marian Dora is based on a gruesome criminal case of Armin Meiwes.Meiwes,the self-confessed cannibal from Rohtenburg admitted that he had met a 43-year-old Berlin engineer Bernd Brandes,after advertising on the internet and had chopped him up and eaten him.Meiwes cut off Brande's penis and fried it for both to eat,then stabbed his in the neck with a knife and dismembered the body.Over the next few weeks he defrosted and cooked parts of Bernd Brandes in olive oil and garlic,eventually consuming 20kg of human flesh before police finally turned up at his door."Cannibal" is very graphic and filled with scenes of rough homosexual activity.There are several truly revolting images including penis chomping and later castration scene that made me squirm in my seat.The evisceration and dismemberment of Brandes is shown in unflinching detail.The direction by Marian Dora is flawless as is the acting of two main characters.The minimalist score by Jim Thirwell creates truly oppressive atmosphere of darkness and despair.Overall,"Cannibal" is a grisly and very disturbing shocker that is recommended only for fans of extreme cinema.9 out of 10.