Cannibal

Starring: Nicolas Gob, Helena Coppejans,

Synopsis:

Max (Gob), an agoraphobic golfing enthusiast with a murky past, leads a secluded life in the remote Belgian countryside. While out in the woods practising his swing, he stumbles across an unconscious young woman (Coppejans) covered in dirt and blood and takes her home to clean her up and take care of her. Despite not fully trusting the stranger, whom he decides to call Bianca, Max begins to develop an attraction towards this mysterious beauty.

One evening, when Bianca escapes the house and runs into the woods, Max decides to follow her and is shocked to find her cannibalizing a man while having sex with him. Overcoming his initial revulsion, Max becomes fascinated by Bianca’s deviant behaviour and the two begin a bizarre romantic relationship. But it soon becomes apparent that Max is not the only one with a keen interest in Bianca and her unconventional habits when she is abducted and he once again comes face to face with his own violent past.

First time director/writer Vire has taken a very taboo subject and handled it with great care, producing a horror thriller with a twisted love story at its heart.

A woman wearing blood-smeared clothes runs barefoot through a forest, eventually collapsing, exhausted. She is eventually discovered by Max, who goes into the woods to practice his golf swings. That in itself is an amusing situation – golf is a game played by necessity in wide open spaces, something Max can’t abide.

From Wikipedia:“Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation that is perceived to be difficult (or embarrassing) from which to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions. Alternatively, social anxiety problems may also be an underlying cause. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia avoid public and/or unfamiliar places.”

This explains why Max not only shuns wide open spaces but also why he finds it distressing initially to interact with Bianca once she awakens. Vire films Max in extreme close-ups, to the point that we can empathise with his discomfort of being around other people. Max also finds it difficult to even touch other objects that have been recently touched by someone else.

Bianca gives no explanation as to why she was in the forest, and Max declines to ask – that pesky fear of social interaction getting in the way. However he finds himself comfortable in her company and never feels compelled to ask her to leave.

One night Bianca sneaks out and Max finds her in a stranger’s car, in the throes of orgasm while ripping out the guy’s throat with her teeth! Horrified, he nevertheless takes her home and goes back to cover her tracks. The efficiency with which Max carries this out stirs a nagging feeling with the viewer...

Something interesting happens once Bianca is abducted. The colour within the film has been steadily being bled out, so by the time Max jumps into his land rover and heads into the city, the film has a very bleak, washed out look. But then, once Max gets into the city, the film stock switches to proper black and white, and remains that way as Max tries to track down and save Bianca.

It turns out that Max has a very dark past of his own, one which probably led to his agoraphobia. In fact, his name and reputation still carries a lot of weight with the street thugs he has to deal with, and has to prove that he is still as dangerous as he once was.

The ending to Cannibal brings about many things, including a splash of colour, and some big answers as to what has been going on. It’s bleak, but at the same time kind of romantic.

Verdict:

Cannibal is a dark and disturbing film, to be sure, but manages to avoid being too gory or exploitative, instead portraying two damaged people who find a soul mate in each other. It also has an excellent score.

8 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)

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