Content Warning: The following review contains discussion of eating disorders
Horror has always been a great medium for exploring difficult topics, and ‘Feed Me’ brings to the screen an exploration of depression, grief, loneliness and eating disorders, all wrapped up in a gloriously bloodsoaked bow. Directed by Richard Oakes and Adam Leader, creators of the 2020 film Hosts, and based on true events, 'Feed Me’ focuses on the grief stricken Jed after he agrees to let the cannibalistic Lionel eat him.
This film is very much a character study, many of the scenes relying solely on the interactions between Jed and Lionel as their relationship develops and evolves. It’s fascinating to watch the pair of them together, largely due to the fact that for much of the film Lionel feels at odds with the atmosphere created around him. Jed is portrayed in a very grounded, down to earth way, while Lionel… there are times when it feels a little like he’s wandered in from a british sketch show. But in a strange way it works, particularly when Lionel switches his behaviour. It also serves to take some of the sting out of the first instance of cannibalism, when the act is much more restrained than in later scenes.
2022 Dark Fable Media
Lionel is a deeply interesting character, one who can be seen as both a reflection of Jed as well as a manifestation of his grief and guilt. Jed is mourning his deceased wife, Olivia, who died due to an eating disorder. In flashbacks, as well as during Olivia’s funeral, Jed frequently expresses his desire to ‘fix her’, even angrily lashing out at times and blaming her for not letting him help. In this way his relationship with Lionel, a man who is shown to have self esteem and body issues, comes across as an attempt to do what he couldn’t do for his wife. Not only is he literally nourishing the disturbed character with his flesh, there’s a scene where Jed helps Lionel with his appearance and offers to help set him up on a dating site. This allows him to make an attempt at ‘fixing’ Lionel’s body issues in a tangible way.
The film establishes a strong atmosphere in the opening moments. The use of a upbeat song that becomes slowed and repitched is a warning of the unsettling events to come. The first scenes are raw and emotional, an intercutting of a desperate Jed leaving a voicemail for Olivia and the police conducting a wellness check on her that quickly turns into the discovery of her dead body. While later scenes are gory and painful to watch, the most agonising moments are the ones focused on Olivia’s eating disorder and how her bulimia contributed to her death. The filmmakers don’t shy away from these moments either, letting the viewer see Olivia’s face and lingering on it so there is no chance of avoiding the reality of the situation.
That’s not to say that the more bloody scenes aren’t shudder inducing themselves. As one would expect from depictions of limbs being hacked off, there is a decent amount of gore. Seeing Lionel lash out against Jed when he feels his friendship isn’t being appreciated enough, leading to a very painful extended arm removal sequence will definitely leave some viewers squirming in their seats.
2022 Dark Fable Media
As well as the more obviously horrifying moments, the film maintains an atmosphere with its sound design as well as the inclusion of an eerie dreamscape of buzzing flies and rotten food that Jed experiences. It can be thrown off a little by some of the slightly strange inclusions in the background (Lionel’s artwork for example, as well as the strange thing with the popcorn), but in the end they add to the atmosphere in their own way, giving everything an off kilter feeling.
‘Feed Me’ has been leaving an impression on the film festival circuit and it’s easy to see why. For fans of the genre who appreciate a solid character driven film and a generous helping of blood, it’s one to see.
Just don’t watch it while eating.
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