Consuming

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 1999)

I just rented this film and AM GLAD I DID. The cast is very well chosen; Nicole deBoer in particular (who you may know from DS9 and The Outer Limits) is hardly recognizable. Don't be afraid of the fact that it is Canadian, or that you have not heard of it; the one is the reason for the other. The cube set is striking but not distracting (similar to the one in an obscure 60s TV film The Cube Jim Henson did), and the odd incident of very graphic but expertly done gore does not cancel out the intellectual and emotional elements that make the film good. For two hours you will be completely immersed, and it won't stop afterward; you can't get it out of your head. Kudos to the writer for not wimping out and explaining the cube. Every visual element of the film is unique and unintrusive, including the camera work. It has a very personal and closed-in feeling that is very appropriate. The FX are high quality and never overly flashy, as is the sound FX. The film makes no concessions to make us comfortable with the situation the characters are in; it comes out of the television to include you. Expect to feel frustrated at the end; it would have ruined the movie if everything was carefully explained. If you don't mind being disturbed and actually thinking during a film, you'll enjoy this film.