THE CANNIBAL CLUB (2018)

Written & Directed By: Guto Parente

Cinematography: Lucas Barbi

Editor: Ricardo Pretti & Luiz Pretti 

Cast: Tavinho Teixeira, Ana Luisa Rios, Pedro Domingues, Jose Maria Alves, Wallen Abreu 

Otavio and Gilda are a very wealthy couple of the Brazilian elite who have the habit of eating their employees. Otavio owns a private security company and is a notable member of The Cannibal Club. When Gilda accidentally discovers a secret from Borges, a powerful congressman and the Club's leader, her and her husband's lives are in danger.

This film is a contained, nasty darkly comedic thriller. That comes across more as a class struggle movie. Rather than an out and out horror.

As the cannibals in the movie are the rock and successful who feast on their fellow man for pleasure and after they fulfill the riches needs. That to certain respect leave the poor coming across fetishized as pieces of meat to be abused yet that they are always hungry for.

Wish the film was a bit bigger In Scope as it already feels like a conspiracy satire on the rich. As they feed off of the poor literally. 

Though that is a theme That stays in the background of a more singular problem in the movie for the main characters. As they soon find themselves on the outs of their group and are wondering what to do to survive. 

This is introduced after we see the way they live their lives and basically the husband is a cuckold who gets off on watching other men pleasure his wife and then at the last minute justifying his killing as revenge. As he and his wife ritually then chop up and devour their prey.

The film starts off and plays rather provocatively and try to raise the stakes little by little, never quite coming alive and never matches its own outspokenness from the opening scenes.

One wishes it could Have gone a lot further with its Premise through works great get it chooses to stay simple and introduces aspects that never quite are answered or addressed. Kind of like the first HOSTEL movie then the sequel that kind of explained the business operation. 

Ana Luiza Rios plays the wife and throughout she has many faces to showcase and play. So that she truly comes across as a true femme fatale.

The film contains more spec scenes than expected as of course it would be used to seduce their victims and leave them open to being overpowered and vulnerable.

The film does get graphic. Though it is a bit refreshing in a modern thriller to see sex and nudity that almost feels like the moral lesson of the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies. So that there is as much sex and nudity as gore. Well really still a bit more violence.

It might be wrong to call the film fun but it seems to take a certain joy and excitement in exploring others misfortunes

In the end, the film feels like a dark realistic fairy tale with no supernatural elements. Though it does feel like an extended TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode. 

GRADE: B