[Fantasia 2025] FILM REVIEW: Anything That Moves

Anything That Moves - Fantasia World Premiere Review

Director: Alex Philips

Starring: Hal Baum, Jiana Nicole, Jeremy Everett, Jade Perry

Written by: Alex Philips

Produced by: Georgia Bernstein, Liane Cunje, Edwin Linker

Cinematography by: Hunter Zimny

Original Score by: Cue Shop

Synopsis:

An innocent Chicago food delivery boy, after having sex for money, finds himself involved in a series of murders that can be traced back to someone who was in his bed.

Thoughts:

Playfully borrowing part of an iconic phrase from Frank Booth's meltdown in 'Blue Velvet' as it's title, 'Anything That Moves' works as an homage to avant-garde sex thrillers from the 70s and 80s. And although it tackles some rough subjects and certainly won't be to everyone's taste, the dark humour present makes for a surprisingly enjoyable watch.

Hal Baum stars as Liam, an unassuming bike courier who works for a food delivery app called Snaxxx, and hotdogs aren't the only weiner product he has on offer. The app is actually a disguise for sex workers to earn alot of extra cash and Liam is one of the highest earners. All bets are off as Liam frolics with the likes of older ladies and even other men. He's even had a threesome with his girlfriend and her sister and definitely had "something" going on with her father too.

It's a fun, care free life but all that turns to shit when Liam's clients start getting murdered, all in the same fashion. They all have a piece of their skull and brain removed. Liam becomes suspect number one and it's up to him and his girlfriend to find out who is actually behind the grisly deaths.

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'Anything That Moves' is a very weird viewing experience. Writer/Director Alex Philips is clearly highly influenced by 1970s pornography and maybe even inspired a bit by some of Brian de Palma's erotic thrillers. He even cast some former porn stars as Liam's clients. So understandably there's a lot of sex and nudity in the film. Some very graphic imagery but it's all done in a very fun way, almost nonchalant. There's some taboos and fetishes addressed during Liam's and his girlfriend's meet-ups with clients (she is also a sex worker) and it all just plays out like a normal day in the life. They're partners both during and out of work hours.

It takes a little while for the narrative to begin to play out but once Liam's clients start to get knocked off and there's a bit more meat to the bone so to speak then the film becomes a bit more interesting and engaging. There is a lot going on though, with scenes that sometimes feel out of sync.

There is clearly an element of experimentation going on here too. It's a very artistic picture that is shot beautifully on 16mm that looks and feels sweaty and dirty and forbidden. The look sort of captures the tone of the entire film, dreamlike and wondrous and almost surreal. I was a big fan of the camerwork. It felt very gonzo. The camera zooms in and out of focus quite a lot and there's a real intimacy to how the whole thing is shot. It really does feel like you're right there with the characters. There were even moments that reminded me of William Lustig's classic 1980 horror film 'Maniac'.

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Although there's a bunch of comedic moments in this and some hilarious dialogue involving two detectives who are attempting to piece together all the evidence, the final stretch does go to some quite dark places. I'm not sure how serious I took the climax of the film, by that stage I was a tad exhausted and overwhelmed, but when the credits rolled I just sat there for a few minutes trying to come to terms with what I had just watched.

The performances from the leads are all fine but there are some characters that go too far, probably intentional, however it does affect the overall tone, which is a bit all over the place at times. 'Anything That Moves' is a shocking but brave piece of filmmaking that had me turning my nose up and rolling my eyes but I just couldn't look away. It's a fucking riot.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'Anything That Moves' received its World Premiere at Fantasia '25 on July 25th