Eat (UK DVD)
Gareth Jones
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Starring Meggie Maddock, Ali Francis, Maru Garcia, Jeremy Make
Directed by Jimmy Weber
Distributed by Monster Pictures UK
Life in Tinseltown is hard for struggling actress Novella McClure (Maddock). Feeling washed up before her career has even taken off, the ailing thespian struggles to land roles, avoid her friendly but pushed-to-the-limit landlord, and stay out of the clutches of time-wasting porno producers.
Her only solace in a world of daily stress is best friend Candice (Francis), a party girl who regularly takes Novella out on the town for a night of free drinks courtesy of any hopeful guys who fall under their flirtatious spell – but this isn’t enough to settle the daily stresses of Novella’s existence, and with her dreams crumbling around her, she develops a rather unusual coping mechanism…
She begins to eat herself.
Starting off with a rather over-enthusiastic nibbling on her thumb, Novella’s panic attacks soon see her chomping strips of flesh from her hand and completely mangling her own foot in one particularly gruesome bout of the munchies. Explaining her wounds as simple accidents in order to hide her activities from concerned parties doesn’t help the situation, but when a chance run-in at a club with the charming Dr. Simon offers the promise of a genuine romantic relationship, things seem to look up for Novella. Yet, Eat writer/director Jimmy Weber isn’t about to let his starlet off so easily.
Comparisons are easily drawn between Eat and the similarly-themed Starry Eyes, but Weber is less concerned with railing against the soulless nature of the industry than he is with simply watching the gruesome downfall of his leading lady. It keeps Eat a more focused piece, ultimately sporting less lofty ideals and ambitions than its current cousin – and that’s not a bad thing. Traversing the world of bitchy competition at auditions and promising referrals that turn out to be a complete waste of time and energy, it quickly becomes apparent that Novella is fighting a losing battle – ready to break, but determined to push herself to the last in order to achieve her dream.
Bringing the ill-fated protagonist to life is actress Meggie Maddock, whose own skills swing between the impressive and the not-particularly-convincing. Early dialogue exchanges feel amateurish (and especially so given the confidence with which the film begins – sporting a stylish and promising title sequence), but as the film progresses, Maddock’s performance becomes more often solid than waning. Novella’s character, herself, is a sympathetic figure – and remains so – even if her actions are so extreme that they aren’t particularly identifiable. If you ever find compulsive auto-cannibalism identifiable in some way, you’re probably going to want to get in touch with a therapist of your own – so that’s not much of a bugbear, there.
Weber’s direction throughout Eat is pro-grade, with a number of well conceived shots and sequences and a bright, colourful presentation that belies the grimness of the proceedings. Of particular note is the editing, which, alongside the soundtrack and some stomach-churning prosthetic work, makes for seriously wince-inducing moments when Novella’s anxiety kicks in and she decides to take a bite (or ten) out of herself. The shocks are highly effective, very well delivered and quite often grueling – this is one film you don’t want to watch if you’re already feeling nauseous!
Where Eat falls down lies solely on the script’s character elements. While it gets by just fine watching Novella go through the motions of her chosen career, there isn’t much else going on. A neat twist and some compelling unanswered questions in the finish notwithstanding, attempts to add deeper layers to the relationship between Novella and Candice fall woefully flat.
Still, the film moves along at a punchy pace that leaves these issues rarely able to come to the fore. A thoughtful character study this is not – but Eat is very much a strong contender for your time if you can stomach the grue. Despite a few problems, just like Novella herself, it’s hard to dislike.
Monster Pictures bring Eat to UK DVD sporting an audio commentary with James Weber and producer Annie Baker. It’s a decent listen, with plenty of anecdotes regarding the shoot. Weber actually makes reference during the commentary to a “making of” supplement, which unfortunately doesn’t appear on this disc.
Special Features:
- Audio commentary
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
