Excess Flesh

I have mixed feelings about this film.

The acting is good and the basis of the story is good. But the execution of bringing them together with technical aspects of film making lets it down and they just don't work together nicely in a smoothly coherent way.

There are lingering scenes which linger for no reason. They go on too long after the point has been made and don't really flow into the next scene too well.

I found at times there were some scene cuts that could have done with a little more visual explanation to flow - rather than abruptly jump from one concept to another.

This could have been a very good film if a bit more care had been taken in telling the story. I am sure it made sense in the crew's mind but they didn't relay it to the audience.

The acting was good - especially the two lead females.

Such a shame.

This has to rank as one of the worst movies I have ever seen. All of the characters are totally charmless and 30% of the movie revolves around people stuffing their faces with food.If you can sit through this until the end you have more stamina than me.

A horror film dealing with eating disorders and mental illness. This one has a young lady named Jill who has given up on life and has let herself go in every aspect. Never bothering to work or even wash she just hangs around the house cooking or eating. She gets the odd Skype call from her alcoholic mother who doesn't appear to have all her buttons. Jill stays with a roommate who is her exact opposite and works as a model. Jill hits her breaking point after a fight and chains up her roommate in the bathroom kicking the film into gear.

This film is like a food porn. Its repulsive for sure when you get the close ups of chewed food in someone's mouth or food all over there face and all over there clothes but that is what you get here. The director liked doing trippy sequences in vivid colour of Gummy Worms, cakes and Pop Tarts being chewed, smashed and spit out. The place where they lived has never been cleaned and you can just imagine the vileness. It was just a disgusting film and I liked it.

The music in this one is superb. The same dude that did Starry Eyes music did this one. The dream sequences were well shot as well. You might get perturbed with the ending but not too bad overall. If you don't get grossed out watching people eat with there mouths open all the time you'll be able to watch this one.

At first viewing, Excess Flesh is a story about an obsessed woman who imprisons her sexy roommate in a twisted attempt to bring them together -- a story of self-loathing, jealousy, love-hate, rage and, finally, about revenge and making right all things evil.

Ultimately, it's a scathing commentary on hyper-consumerism, where more is more and never enough. Excess Flesh is the state of the world through the lens of its empathic, embittered interpreter, Director, Patrick Kennelly. This is a world of consumerism, a world where one's identity is determined by what they wear, how they look, who they know and how they measure up to the cruel and impossible standards or abandon all hope. This work is both a seminal work and a masterwork – a view of a dysmorphic world through the piercing mind's eye of the film's creator.

This is not torture horror. This is a cunning complex film and the film reveals more and more the more you watch it. More is more. Consume. More.

The acting in this film is cult status. Bethany Orr's performance places her firmly in the ranks of Isabelle Adjani in Zulawski's classic "Possession." Orr's performance is not to be missed … nor is it to be misunderstood. Take time to indulge in this actor's revelations of character, nuance and the human condition. It is a visceral, infinite, and a deeply instinctive interpretation of one's loss of one's soul to the societal mediation of one's self.

Excess Flesh was a risk to make. Films like Excess Flesh are a risk for investors. Excess Flesh is a smartly produced hybrid genre film and the filmmakers deserve praise. Congrats to Exec Producer Dennis Garcia and Walking to the Moon Productions, for taking a chance on a film that needed to be made and for recognizing the talents of the filmmakers. You're a hero to indie filmmakers everywhere … Make more, please.

Excess Flesh is not for the weak of mind, heart, or soul. Take a look. Take your time and let happen. I recommend that you watch it more than once. Do it in excess.

For not the right reasons I might add. And I'm not talking about this being one of the few reviews of mine that have been deleted. As you can see though I'm not entire alone with my opinion on the movie. Still from the top I do think this has a more than fine idea and storyline. Apart from those who may not like movies "sprinkled" or filled entirely with social critisicm, they may have issues already with the movie. But everyone else may not just be intrigued by this.

And that is where I have to say that the movie fails. And it is not so much the grotesque and quite visceral/graphic nature of it all (though you should not be too squeamish about these things either). It is about how the story evolves and how it is edited together. Stretching the viewer patience to the point it'll break for most. Not to mention the incredible straining characters (actor choices/dialog) that you'll either endure to get to the "good parts" or just plain will be annoyed by it ... So well intended but very flawed to say the least