Monday, June 29, 2009

Consumption (2007)


Consumption is a short indie film from writer/director Richard Powell and Fatal Pictures. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting much when I first popped it into my DVD player. With a name like Consumption, I knew something was going to be consumed, so I expected a fair amount of blood. I thought it would be a run-of-the-mill, serial killer type movie…but, boy, was I wrong.

After the first 10 minutes or so, Consumption sidelined me out of the blue with a surprise plot twist that I never saw coming…and I was never the same after that!

A nervous man (Bruno Talotta) is getting ready to meet his date, who is coming over for dinner. The man is dressed in a suit and carefully lays out the china. He answers a knock at the door and a Rose McGowan look-alike (Andrea Nettleton) greets him. It’s apparent that the two have never met face-to-face, but it’s implied that they’ve chatted online. After some idle chit chat, a cup of coffee and the girl’s favorite dish they get to the real reason of their meeting…and soon the blood starts flowing!

Consumption is a surprising short film in that it defies your expectations as well as exceeding them. In the beginning of the film, I thought that the man character was awfully awkward, stiff and formal…but as the story progressed I realized it wasn’t the actor or the dialogue, but truly how this particular character would act in the scene when his occupation was revealed! Of course, the acting wasn’t Oscar worthy or anything, but Bruno Talotta deserves a lot more credit than I first gave him. Andrea Nettleton did an amazing job as well as she went from the seemingly innocent victim to someone who is much more, how shall we say? – self-sacrificing.

I don’t want to give too much away, but when the twist hits everything pretty much falls into place. It may take a bit of patience to get there, but the gore afterward makes it all worth it! We get a slit throat that bleeds buckets of blood, flesh getting skinned and flayed, decapitation, dismemberment and disembowelment (not necessarily in that order!)! Considering this short was made on a low budget, the special FX are quite impressive!

I also liked the underlying message about how far science will go and to what end. Do the ends really justify the means or do the means slowly transform us into monsters? I won’t say much more for fear of giving too much away…but this film is best viewed with no expectations and on an empty stomach!

Consumption is a powerful short film that manages to rise above the typical serial killer horror films. Though you think you know where the story is going, there is no doubt you’ll be surprised by the twist that will have your eyes glued to the screen for the remainder of the film. Check out this short film if you get the chance!

Visit Fatal Pictures’ Official Site!

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