'The Carnivores' Review

 
NRRuntime: 1 Hr and 17 MinutesProduction Companies: Cervidae Films, Silver SpectralDistributor: N/ADirector:  Caleb JohnsonWriter: Caleb Johnson, Jeff Bay SmithCast: Lindsay Burdge, Tallie Medel, Frank Mosley Release Date: N/A
Alice and Bret’s dog Harvey is dying, and he’s ruining everything. What had been a bright little family is quickly being consumed by clouds of self-doubt, suspicion, and a disturbing amount of ground beef. Bret (Lindsay Burdge) is taking the news hard. She's had Harvey since she entered the relationship and is startled to find just how much of her sense of self is wrapped up in her history with him. Alice (Tallie Medel) thus finds herself on the outside of a relationship looking in. Bret's preoccupation with the dog is getting overtly unhealthy, yet the more Alice attempts to connect, the further Bret retreats. As the stress on Alice, a vegetarian, manifests in increasingly strange ways involving sleepwalking and a fascination with meat, she plans to get rid of Harvey to reclaim Bret’s love. But when Alice wakes one night holding an empty leash with no sign of Harvey except his severed ear, she begins to fear she's become a monster. As each woman sets out in search of what's been lost, Alice and Bret uncover parts of each other they never suspected, hideous and beautiful alike.
Not going to lie, The Carnivores is a movie that I had to sit with for a bit. That’s not because it’s a complicated movie, but because of how I felt about it overall. It’s a bit difficult to describe, especially given its genre. As far as the story goes, it’s very cohesive and easy to follow. Most of the film is a gradual slow burn of this woman delving into cannibalism and keeping it a secret from her girlfriend. Unfortunately, Alice’s craving for flesh gets the best of her during late nights where she begins sleepwalking through these visceral dreamlike sequences and she happens to eat her and her girlfriend’s dog Harvey. From there, it becomes somewhat of a surreal horror romantic drama. You’re invested in the relationship between Alice and Bret. It becomes more enticing as you realize how Harvey is one of the major crutches of this couple’s relationship. At the core of its narrative, it’s the balance of the relationship between Alice and Bret. Can Alice keep her newfound cravings away from the woman she loves the most? Will Alice even muster up the courage to tell Bret she ate their damn dog? The more it became centric on this couple, the more fun I had with it.  Director Caleb Johnson really plays with your mind through its imagery, making you question whether each moment is real or a figment of Alice’s imagination. He plays her “cannibalism” sequences in a way that’s reminiscent of being blackout drunk, incorporating lens flares within its dark backgrounds. This particular tone, which normally wouldn’t work on me, is executed well. It has an overall dry atmosphere that, in the midst of being grossed out by some grotesque imagery, there are little glimpses of humor and whimsy that are effective. That said, its overall silent ambiance is a lot to invest in, but once it shows its true colors, I think you’d have a decent time giving this slow-burn horror romance a shot. Plus, its runtime is a little over an hour. By the time you go, “This su—”, it’s over. Hey, I have a soft spot for 70-something-minute movies. Rating: 3/5 | 67%