FILM REVIEW: Cannibal Mukbang (2023)

Cannibal Mukbang - New Release Review

Director: Aimee Kuge

Starring: April Consalo, Nate Wise, Clay von Carlowitz, Madeleine Ours

Written by: Aimee Kuge

Produced by: Aimee Kuge

Cinematography by: Harrison Kraft

Original Score by: Alex Cuervo

Synopsis:

After meeting the girl of his dreams, Mark soon discovers that she has a very bizarre and horrifying hobby.

Thoughts:

What the hell is a mukbang I hear you say? I generally consider myself down with modern language but I had no idea what the definition of mukbang was until this little indie gem came slithering into my life. Mukbang comes from the Korean word 먹방, (meokbang), which combines the Korean words for “eating” (먹는 meongneun) and “broadcast” (방송 bangsong) It is essentially a live-stream video of somebody eating a rather large portion of food and apparently it is insanely popular on the aul internet.

You can probably tell where this is going from the less than subtle title.

Aimee Kuge's debut feature film follows Mark (Nate Wise) who bumps into Ash (April Consalo) late one night at a convenience store and then gets accidentally bumped by Ash's car almost immediately after leaving. He wakes up in her apartment and the two hit it off straight away, even through some awkward dialogue and cringy moments, and after spending some time together they become an item. Ash is a bit of a free spirit and Mark, who comes across as introverted and unhappy in his job, sees this new found relationship as a new beginning.

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Ash acts weird during a dinner date and asks Mark to leave, only to invite another man over to the table in his place. And later that evening Ash and her new man are walking through the park and he begins to get rough with her and physically attacks her. A tipsy Mark is watching on but before he can interfere Ash has already nullified her attacker and finishes him off by nibbling on his neck. Mark suspected the worst at the restaurant after being asked to leave but what actually happens is even worse than anything he could imagine.

Ash is a serial killer who cooks her victims up into nice meals and streams herself eating them to the world.

Although there is some tense moments and a little bit of gore when it needs it, 'Cannibal Mukbang' isn't a horror film and it isn't even trying to be. It's about the relationship between Mark and Ash, which ends up being quite toxic at times and highlights themes like gaslighting and manipulation, and really does ask the question "How far would you go in the name of love?". I found it to be very charming and funny.

And I think most of the charm is elicited from the two leads Nate Wise and April Consalo, who are both excellent at what they are asked to do here. Mark initially comes across as quite bland but as the film progresses the humour in how he articulates the situation he has found himself in becomes more evident. Ash is sweet and confident in the beginning then really ramps up the self assurance after the first kill. April Consalo definitely gave me Kathryn Newton vibes, particularly her stint from Zelda Williams' 'Lisa Frankenstein'.

FOLLOW THE DISSECTION PODCAST

I assume Aimee Kuge is a big fan of 80s cinema because the way she approaches the premise reminded me of some of those silly out-there films from that decade. It's not a silly film but it just requires the viewer to sit back with an open mind and not question anything and just enjoy the ride. What she manages to achieve on what I guess is a very modest budget is quite remarkable. A lot of what she gets right just involves Mark and Ash getting to know each other by simply talking about stuff like movies and their dead relatives and then moving on to the next step while disembowelling dead bodies.

I really appreciated some of the imagery in the film too. There's some beautiful shots in the rain where Ash's mouth and chest are covered in blood. And then later when she is in the shower and the camera is close on Mark trying to comprehend everything he has just witnessed. But the stand out for me was the flashback sequence that essentially explains why Ash has been turned into such a monster. It's shot on 8mm I think and reeks of 70s exploitation films. It's easily the most horrific sequence of the entire film but through it leads to a lovely, tender moment of recognition and obviously adds a bit more meat to the bone (pun definitely intended) as far as the story goes.

I won't spoil the ending but it's a pretty fun and satisfying finale. Bloody. Chaotic. Emotional.'Cannibal Mukbang' definitely feels like a debut but Aimee Kuge is only getting started.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'Cannibal Mukbang' is available on Digital Download from June 9th