This movie stars Keri Russell as a young student pursuing her Masters Degree in Germany and the subject of her thesis is the cannibal Oliver Hartwin and his willing victim Simon Grombeck. The brutal murder of Grombeck is based on the actual story of Armin Meiwes, a cannibal who via the Internet found a willing victim (Bernd Jurgen Brandes) to be "slaughtered and consumed." I remember when this story first hit the news media and remember how I was ultimately disgusted and shocked. However, it is not the reason that I chose this film to watch. The initial description on cable is that it was a love story of some weird kind. How Russell's character of Katie Armstrong falls in love with this cannibal. Only when the movie begins and the reference is made to the true story behind the movie, did I realize that the description was a little "off." I chose to watch the movie anyway.
It is a dark and horrific film. Not grotesque by any means, you don't see any true gruesomeness until the end of the movie. The darkness stems by the background into the main characters of Oliver Hartwin and Simon Grombeck. Why did they become the way that they are. How did Hartwin ultimately decide to eat human flesh and why did Grombeck decide he wanted to be his victim. Their pasts are haunted by tormented childhoods and unfulfilled adulthood. It is sad. Even more depressing is the character of Katie Armstrong who is enchanted, obsessed and saddened by the topic that she chose for her thesis. You watch her dive deeper into the darkness and hope that she comes out of the process a normal individual.
It is a bit heavy and after you watch it you should probably watch a comedy or the like. You will definitely need a pick me up. The final scenes of the movie are the most jarring, for it is the dinner date between the two men and if you know anything about the actual case, then you have a pretty good idea of what happens.
I give it a 5 out of 10.
Next up is "Kung Fu Panda 2"
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