Customer Reviews

Feed

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Many of you have probably never heard of this film before as did I til Chris brought it to my attention a couple of months ago. It's a shame that so many fantastic films get swept under the carpet while atrocious films get all the glory. (Take 80% of the horror remakes we've been forced to endure for example). Though this film is not so great it really bothers me when a unique and clever film such as "Feed" comes and goes almost without a trace. So here I am, doing my part to get this film the notoriety and respect it deserves. When it comes to fresh material, "Feed" is what I'd imagine it would feel like if someone was intentionally drowning you until the point where every red-blood cell in your body was screaming for oxygen. But a split second before you expire, they lift your head into the fresh air and the initial breath is so refreshing you feel euphoric.

"Feed" is based on an underground sexual fetish known as "feederism." Feederism is a sexual fetish (specifically a type of body alteration fetishism), centered on the practice of eating large amounts of food. The feeder provides the gainer with an abundant supply of food, either to encourage weight gain or simply for delight in the act of feeding. The feeder is typically more dominant, while the gainer is often more submissive, although this is not always the case. The fetish caters to those who have fantasies of growing fatter, or feeding another. O'Loughlin plays the role of Michael Carter, a man who runs a website where women are fed until they are unable to move or care for themselves and participates sexual acts with these women. Thompson plays the role of Detective Phillip Jackson, a veteran of cyberporn investigations who has discovered something terribly wrong is happening and is determined to find out what is hidden within the pages of the grotesque website.

I challenge anyone to try and convince me that a horror plot based on "feederism" isn't original and (lets face it) intriguing. We've been bombarded with hoards of zombies, increasingly watered down slashers and poltergeists for some time now and it's about time someone stepped up to the plate to deliver something new and original. (No pun intended).The acting in "Feed" is decent but not that great. Most notably, Alex O'Loughlin and Patrick Thompson, I read that they actually came up with the idea for the film.

This movie had left me half full because it had so much room for improvement. The ending will be unforeseen to a lot of viewers but that couldn't make up for the lost that I already encountered either way its still worth a watch.

Feed is directed by Leonard who also brought us cyber-crime flicks The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity. In Feed, he explores the world of Feeders & Gainers.

Alex O'Loughlin plays Michael Carter, a Feeder who films feeding women online and tracks their vital stats for placing bets as to when they will die. Det. Jackson (Patrick Thompson) finds the website and decides to track down Carter and prove he is a serial killer despite the fact the women are voluntarily fed.

I suppose the film leaves the notion of killing by weight gain up for debate. Both men have valid arguments while neither is truly right. Carter argues that he is helping the women by not judging them and allowing them to take whatever shape they want. He states that the ridiculous ideal woman in America now is an androgynous, hairless, waif that resembles a [...] boy. Det. Jackson argues that since the Gainers eventually die, it is murder. We would prosecute someone for starving another person, then why not for over-feeding her?

Another interesting contrast between the two men is their relationships with women. While Carter is perceived as a serial killer and therefore the Bad Guy, he showers the women in his life with attention and love (even the overweight ones). Det. Jackson is very hypocritical in his notion of saving women considering the abusive relationship he has with his skinny girlfriend.

I feel Carter is the perfect villain. He is sweet, handsome, and charming. He is a stranger you would trust talking to on a street. O'Loughlin plays the role well and can effectively sway from debonair to downright creepy.

Now to the gore.... I was disgusted in a way by the film. While there are scenes of overeating and food fed by a tube down a throat, these actually did not bother me. In fact, I was amused by the song, "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've got Love in my tummy" played to a woman being fed multiple burgers. What I was disturbed by were the desperate women who equate food with love. As long as the Gainer is getting food, she is happy. Even when the truth is revealed at the end, the women do not care. They would rather eat and kill themselves, than stop and anger the man they love for fear of being alone.

The ending was perfect. I felt it was going in a certain direction, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a warped variation of the Good Guy wins scenario. All I can say is, Feed Me!

Bottom Line: Not for a weak stomach, but a good morality tale. Leaves room for discussion with friends.

Rating: 7/10


Molly Celaschi
[...]

Wow! I stumbled across FEED thinking it was some type of schlock exploitation film of the Fat Admirers subculture, and it probably is that, but it is so much more. It has to be the most intelligent, engrossing film I have watched in a long time. The film uses shock to make you question your world and beliefs. It forces you to look at body image, sexuality, criminality and ultimately love in bold new ways. What really struck me was the way that it force-fed its audience the need to question their notions of consent. From the opening sequence of the two German men that the previous reviewer mentioned, the film twists the rhetoric of "My body, my choice" to levels I still can't resolve. Deirdre's complicity with her situation is especially well-portrayed by the actress.
The films' smartest moments derive from the blurring of boundaries between "perverts" and people obsessed with policing said perverts' "desires." As the previous reviewer mentioned, Phillip often seems more of an antagonist than Michael. The final scene is just brilliant: funny, shocking, moving. It cements Michael's indictment of Philip and upholds the notion that there is little difference between being obsessed with perversion and being obsessed with policing perversion. The "spirals of power and pleasure" that encompass Michael and Phillip are awe-inspiring. Never have I seen a film capture this cliched with such conviction.
The director called the film his "love letter to America" and I see it. The film attacks our consumption of our resources, and questions our obsession with being so "fat." The line about the cremation diamonds that Michael delivers to Philip is ingenious!

Obviously, I am in love with the film. However, what's truly awe-inspiring about it is that it works not only as a clever cultural indictment but as a thriller. I had to sleep with the lights on last night! The film is haunting, terrifying. If you're a horror fan, you have to see it! The use of music to terrify is wonderful. The film touches your own body and makes you react. The audio is loud and jolting, and the incorporation of love songs into the macabre dealings here is black humor that dares you to laugh.
Wow! The movie taunts us with a tagline that dares us to watch it. At first, it would seem as if it is just questioning whether we can stomach gore, but in reality, it is questioning so much more. Take the challenge! See FEED!!

The Plot Stupid . The Acting Are they Kidding?? The Sex Weird ? Sick Factor 10.. I Loved Every Ridiculous Minuet Of It ......Steve

I Have An Aunt Who Has Been Over 600 For Years And Years . Its True They Bring Her The Food, But Thats Because She Has Control Of Everyone. Not the other way around . She Lays In Her Bed And Runs Everyones Life .. I Think Thats How Most People That Are That Big Are They Have To Be Manipulative To Get The Food ..

When I discovered Alex O'Loughlin on Moonlight on TV in 2007, I immediately collected all of his work on DVD. FEED is the first one I bought, and I absolutely love it. Alex is a brilliant talent and has an incredible range, showed off beautifully in this film. Alex came up with the topic of "feeders and gainers", a subculture that I did not know about, and he did months of research on it. He co-wrote and co-produced and is quite proud of his work on this movie, as he should be. This film is different and exciting, and the dark humor throughout is fantastic.
The entire cast is outstanding - Gabby Millgate is wonderful as Deirdre, the "gainer" to Michael's "feeder", played by Alex O'Loughlin, and the two of them play off of one another so well. It is easy to see that Gabby is a comedic actress. Patrick Thompson is perfectly cast as the Australian cyber-cop who travels to Ohio to uncover what Michael is up to on his website.
I was so impressed that this movie was filmed in 28 days and on a very limited budget. Not only is Alex's portrayal of Michael Carter amazing, but you will be so impressed by his American accent. You would NEVER be able to tell that he is Australian and has quite a strong accent when not playing a role that calls for a different one. I have seen him do several, and they are all impeccable.
This film is extremely well written, the acting is award worthy, and you will want to watch it many times over. Each time I see some little thing that I missed before. For people watching the DVD for the 1st time, I would recommend that you watch some of the extras first - the interview with Alex and also FEED in Filly, and audience question and answer session after the movie premiered in Philadelphia. Alex is quite proud of not only the movie in general, but also the fact that he did all of his own stunts, notably the leap off of the balcony. You will be impressed when you see it.
Another thing I love about FEED is the soundtrack. The use of classic pop songs was a fantastic idea, and seeing Michael do his little dance to "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is worth the price of the DVD alone. Buy FEED and enjoy - you will be so glad that you did!

I thought that I had seen everything until I saw this movie. This is one twisted movie and a very good movie at that. It is a mystery and a thriller/horror all in one. I throughly enjoyed this movie right up until the end credits. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Like I said, it is a must see to believe. The only complaint that I had about the movie is that the music was waaayyyy too loud at times to hear the dialogue. But other than that, I recommed this movie to anyone that wants to see a "different type of genre" horror film.

I read about FEED in the latest issue of Fangoria magazine and it immediatley interested me.
The premise is this; An Australian detective with a knack for capturing internet cyber-porn/murderers discovers a website based in Ohio, USA. It is called feederx.com and basically shows a man who videotapes himself feeding seriously obese women who want to be fed to 500 lbs, 600 lbs, 1000 lbs...
After discovering that viewers place bets on how long until the women will die from their feedings, he travels to America in hopes of stopping this deranged man.
What happens soon after his arrival is...intriguing to say the least.
Now, Fango quoted this as the sickest film in years or something like that so I took that as truth, but in reality I would disagree.
FEED is no more gross or disturbing than SAW or SEVEN. There was almost no bloodshed, and the gore that was shown was saw only with a shaky camera (meant to show the character's panic I assume). The sickest thing in the film was the force-feeding of actual fat via funnel and tube, but still not bad enough to make me turn away.
But even though the squimish-factor wasn't as high as I had anticipated, I did enjoy the relationship between the detective and "feeder", especially when it came to their definitions of what a sociopath was...good stuff. The ending was also very enjoyable.
I'd recommend this to any horror fan and anyone looking for a quick thriller with a gross-out factor.

Trust me when I say that no one wanted to like "Feed" more than I. Being a connoisseur of sick and twisted films, I could not resist the tag on the box from the Daily Record--"Cross 'Super Size Me' with 'The Silence of the Lambs'." Seemed like a marriage made in heaven! I didn't go into this film expecting art, but --ultimately-- I guess I expected something more filling.

The first third of the film has a pleasant nastiness to it. With tons of quick cuts (mostly unnecessary), an amped sound track, loads of gratuitous nudity, sufficient violence, raunchy kinkiness and plenty of unsettling images--the film introduced us to it's two main characters. The set-up and the initial Internet investigation into the subject of "feeders" and "gainers" seemed promising. If the entire film could have kept up this lurid, over-the-top pace--I'd have been singing this film's praises.

Alas, no--we moved into the actual investigation as our Australian hero(?) traveled to America to hunt his prey. Unfortunately, this is where the film had to rely more on acting and it's script. Based on the slickness of the beginning, it was unfortunate to be lurched so quickly into amateurishness and some of the worst American accents possible. But I'm forgiving, and I would have been able to overlook this--but the procedural as our cop identifies and tracks down our "feeder" is so preposterous and unbelievable. I won't ruin any of it for you--but I was yearning, at this point, for more depravity and less "plot".

Anyway, as you might imagine, the third act of the film is the cliche'd showdown. Luckily, it's better than the what preceded it--sadly, it was pretty typical of every "serial killer" movie you've ever seen. Tack on a ridiculous ending, and you've got yourself a movie.

I was torn about what to rate this film. I was going to give it only 2 stars based on actual merit. However, I know there are a lot of other sickos out there (like me) who will be intrigued by the premise. So, I'm going with 3 stars. Why? It's a disturbing subject you haven't seen before. It's competently made and looks good. And the depravity is well established, especially in the beginning. You may not love it--but for all that is ripped-off from other movies, there are some genuinely unique and unsettling images and ideas too.

I may feel dirty in the morning--but I'm giving this flawed, but intriguingly nasty film, a 3. KGHarris, 9/06.

This movie shows you the reality of fetishes and just how sick some people really are. Feed has a very unique plot and really makes you think about what people do behind those white picket fences. We highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes horror movies, it doesn't have a lot of blood and guts-what it has is way sicker than that.

I am a fan of Alex O'Loughlin since the CBS drama MOONLIGHT. So, I have been on a quest to view other projests of the cast, including O'Loughlin. This one does not disappoint. While there are some flaws withe the script, Alex proves that he can rise above. His portrayal of the depraved serial killer is amazing...especially considering this was only his (correct me if I'm wrong) 2nd film. There are some graphic sexual scenes and some scenes that are not for those with a weak stomach. But, I can promise you will not be disappointed if you are a fan of Alex O'Loughlin's.