Wow, this was unexpectedly artistic and poetic (in a fever-dream sort of way). For those unfamiliar with the premise, it is based on a true story about one Armin Meiwes and his infamous meetup with a “willing victim” from a ~ cannibalism fetish website ~~. This is a very stylish retelling of that incident, but it’s quite different from what one might expect.
A far cry from tabloid cliches, the director chose to give this a much deeper, more emotional (and thus more twisted) treatment. The scenes are all shot with a type of intimate lighting that varies from soft to stark at all the right moments, illuminating our main character’s ever-fleeting emotions.
Frank, natural, somewhat romantic approach to scenes of gay sex might be off putting to some, but it’s no more graphic than any typical straight scene. However, these scenes are interesting because at first you might mistake them for a usual passionate weekend fling between two strangers who just seem to really “get” each other. After all, they both agreed upon the terms, they are both aroused by the premise, and both seek to fulfill an ultimate fantasy that is far stranger than anyone other than they would understand. Sex, though, is only one aspect of their interactions, and an oddly appropriate lead-in to what comes next.
While somewhat slow in pacing, the tension swells to a point where you barely felt it start to creep up before everything begins to spin. It’s a dreamy type of nightmare, with a lot of nuance given to perspectives on sex, death, fear, desire, dominance and submission, the beauty and frailty of life and what exceeds the boundaries of consent.
I also appreciated that director Dora chose to use a somewhat objective gaze for most of the film. That is, while you do get impressions from the perspective of both characters, there is no “silent narrator” from the camera. You’re not meant to sympathize with anyone specifically, yet each participant is humanized in a way that strikingly contrasts their apparent normalcy with the extremely bizarre— and meticulously planned — circumstances in which they met.
This is not your typical “crime film based on true events”, nor is it what you’d usually call a “horror movie”. Instead it’s an exploration of strangeness, comfort, dreams and sexuality, without downplaying any aspect of what such a particular event may have looked like. It’s an adventurous film, a feverish smashing together of the beautiful and the grotesque.
It’s a unique experience, bound to excite and disturb. (Well, you could say that about all Dora’s films, really)