Movie Review: FEED

This film, as the laughably sparse Wikipedia article will tell you, is about a police investigation of a sexual fetish known as feederism, a twist on classical domination/subservience with the angle of a healthy feeder and a morbidly obese to the point of being unable to move, eater. It is not a very good film, to be honest. I was quite disappointed. I went into this film after hearing from a companion about the impact this film's graphic imagery had on them.
After watching the film myself, I'd say that the content is somewhat shocking, but not in the class of say, The Human Centipede, or even one of the seemingly endless SAW films. There's a few very, very fat women in it, but it's nothing more than you'd see on any random BBW fetish site, or even an episode of Maury. All of the effects in the film are very well done and convincing, not just limited to the grotesque fatness, but also the violence and injuries, but that is where the realism in this film ends.
The story makes very little sense, especially when examined at closely. The internet security angle specifically is just claptrap. And the behavior of the protagonist and resident renegade cop looking to prove himself, Phillip Jackson (Patrick Thompson), goes way beyond the duties of a normal police officer. He breaks several international laws and treaties during this film, even going so far as to be possibly more guilty than the antagonist, portrayed by Alex O'Loughlin, who was brilliant, with the exception of his lines. The story makes a few desperate attempts at symbolism and deeper meaning, but it's all surrounded by wooden performances and painfully hackneyed dialog, especially between the Australian police who talk like they're in a parody of Dirty Harry.
The writer and director seem to know what they're doing and have clearly taken a class or two, but the execution was laughable. Some story elements if fleshed out could have been intriguing, but were not explored. The film is well shot but the content is not interesting. Furthermore, the director apparently has been taught about gel filters and contrast lighting, but he was never taught how to use it. Half of the film you are beaten over the head with either a orange/blue or a red/blue contrast. It works in theory, but the contrasts need to be there for a reason, not just because you were taught to do a little lighting. The soundtrack is poppy and fitting, but not memorable. And really, that's the final verdict on the film. It has a little gore, some fair acting, a mediocre plot, a predictable progression, and it's nothing really worth remembering. Two and one half stars, out of five.

**.5 out of *****