Cannibal

"Cannibal" (2013 release from Spain; 117 min.) brings the story of Carlos, a well-respected tailor for the 1% in Grenada at day, but a cold-blooded murderer and cannibal at night. As the movie opens, we see a couple at a gas station and when they drive away, Carlos follows them, and causes their car to crash. He takes the woman with him, and does what he does. Carlos has a lovely new neighbor in his building, a Romanian girl named Alexandra who moved to Spain with her sister Nina to make money and support their parents financially back home. When Alexandra also "is disappeared" by Carlos, Nina comes looking for her sister. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first and foremost, don't be fooled by or intimidated by the movie's title. This is MILES away from "Silence of the Lambs" and its sequels, as this is NOT a horror movie or an action movie. Yes there are several harrowing scenes in it, but the focus of the movie is on a much deeper level, namely how one man can find himself in this position and just when you think you've figured him out, you are taken into a new direction. Second, kudos to director Manuel Martín Cuenca, whose previous movies (including "Malas temporadas" and "The Weakness of the Bolshevik" are now on my "want-to-see-badly" list. Third, the pacing of the moving is glacier-like, and I mean this as a complement. Check out the opening scene at the gas station, which takes several minutes and the camera doesn't change angles or zooms in, it simply lets you take it all in (this comes back a number of times in the movie). In keeping with the deliberate slow pace, there equally is no musical score for the movie (the only occasional music we hear is from the radio in Carlos' tailor shop). Last but certainly not least, the 2 main actors, Antonio de la Torre as Carlos and Olimpia Melinte in the dual role of Alexandra and Nina, give towering performances which will stay with you long after you've seen the movie.

"Cannibal" is the June, 2014 release in Film Movement's DVD-of-the-Month Club, and the DVD will become generally available to the public later this yea. As is usually the case, the DVD comes with a bonus shortie, and this month we get "Ogre" (18 min., from France), about a heavy-set man who encounters an all-too-kind young lady at the beach. Equally worth checking out! Meanwhile, "Cannibal" is a fantastic addition to Film Movement's ever-growing library of foreign and indie movies. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!