Warning: this one's going to be rough-going. Cannibal, the infamous shocker deftly directed by Marian Dora and finally available on DVD from the always reliable Unearthed Films, contains not only the requisite blood 'n' guts you'd expect from a film called "Cannibal", but also way more male nudity, homo-eroticism, and reasonably explicit gay sex than most casual viewers would generally expect to see in any "non-pornographic" splatter movie. I know that's going to prevent a specific (and large) chunk of you from even trying to watch this thing. Not to put too fine a point on it, and at the risk of alienating some of the more homophobic readers out there, if you let that stuff prevent you from watching Cannibal, that would be a travesty. The film is so artfully produced...so carefully and shockingly crafted, that it deserves at least one viewing from every fan of "extreme horror" out there. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Based on the true-life case of Armin Meiwes, a German computer programmer, Cannibal tells the tale of a lonely gay man who places a series of online ads in the hopes of attracting someone whom he can cook and eat (!). Amazingly, the ad is successful, attracting the attention of a man (whom is here called only "the Flesh"), and soon, our "hero" and his prospective dinner are frolicking in a blissful state of lovemaking, cuddling, eating, sleeping...doing everything together that a "normal" couple would do...all as a preface to the...ahem...atrocities to come. Before long, our hero feeds "the flesh" a handful of tranquilizers, large quantities of liquor, and the two set about making their delusional fantasies come true. Locking themselves in a room custom-built for this purpose, our hero starts by trying to literally castrate "the flesh" with his teeth. Failing this, things start to get really weird. Can I just note here for one moment that both of these guys are completely willing participants in this almost literal orgy of depravity? At no time do we ever feel that "the flesh" is a "victim" on any level. He is merely the recipient of some truly bizarre sexual acts...something he knows about before getting himself into this situation. Slowly and deliberately, the film unfolds, and one man is literally butchered and consumed by the other...all in the most graphically-harrowing and explicit manner possible, of course.
The amazing thing about what Marian Dora has done here is that we never feel that the actions of these two guys are being judged in any way. Dora makes neither any attempt to rationalize what they're doing, nor does he try to damn them for their "depravity". In fact, other than the inherent ickiness of the proceedings, the film would be a really boring affair that simply tells the tale of two guys falling in love and having lots of sex. Again, I warned you. If you're a homophobe, you're going to find this flick to be pretty rough-going. Even when things get really disturbing, the viewer is left in a sort of void, where any and all judgments and presuppositions are pretty much null. There's no denying the strength of the images in Cannibal, but what's more, there is a genuine tenderness at work here. These are two lonely guys who, through whatever machinations, have found their way into one another's lives. It's either a match made in heaven, or a coupling spawned in hell. You decide. Helping the viewer along the way toward complete moral ambiguity are some very effective (but almost totally dialogue-free) performances, excellent camera-work, and staggering set design. It's all so artful and "cinematic" that it's hard to find fault with the quality on display here.
I will recommend Cannibal with extreme reservations. It's clearly not a film designed for "mass consumption", and will only be appreciated, enjoyed...or even tolerated...by a select few viewers. However, those that stick around for this one will find themselves rewarded with a truly visceral, disturbing, and effective film experience. The welcome DVD release from the always reliable Unearthed Films is pretty bare bones, so don't go in expecting a bunch of bonus features. However, the image is relatively clean and crisp (except on those occasions when it's not supposed to be), and the minimalist audio is well done but not stellar. All told, it's a suitable release, but I can't help but wish for an audio commentary or some interviews, just to shed some additional perspective on this surreal, beautiful, and profoundly disturbing film.
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