I'm sick and tired of reading bad comments about Ulli Lommel's films.
I am a devoted fan of Ulli Lommel's movies and have seen many of them, this one "Diary Of A Cannibal" is one of his best so far. I was very impressed with it.
Diary Of A Cannibal is certainly unconventional. It is part romance, part drama, and part horror, and the premise is interesting and original. The film examines the issue of cannibalism. There are not very many films that you finish watching and ponder afterwards, but I found myself lying awake thinking about this one after seeing it last night. It left me with a definite impression; both disturbed and curious.
In the movie two people, a young man and a young woman, who are intensely in love, decide that the ultimate way to consummate their love for each other is by an act of cannibalism whereby the woman kills her lover and eats his heart, and he submits willingly to the act, and this is portrayed as the ultimate act of love. This obviously conflicts severely with social and legal norms in American society, and the girl is convicted and sentenced to prison for murder, as you would expect. The film mainly examines the ethics and the psychology of the act (not the gore), and interestingly, it seems to portray the act of cannibalism sympathetically, not at all objectively. I don't believe that this is wrong, maybe the film makers are just expressing their opinion, in any case it makes for interesting viewing and it was a bold film to make.
The acting was good throughout. I sensed in the performances of the actors, particularly in that of Jilian Swanson (a very beautiful girl), real passion and feeling, and I really believed in and sympathized with her character and the inner conflict she felt because she played it so real, and with subtle conviction. The performances were subtle and morose which perfectly fitted the macabre and ponderous subject matter, and were entirely believable. The music was excellent, well suited, and well employed: very haunting and beautiful. The camera work is the typical realistic documentary style employed on many of Lommel's films, which I quite like because it brings immediacy and realism to the film, but clearly it irks many people who obviously prefer to remain more detached from the subject matter so it can be viewed purely as mindless entertainment. The only factor which costs this film stars in my opinion is the screenplay which could have been better. True, the dialog is minimal, the story is told mostly with images, but sometimes the script was a bit thin, and possibly could it have used some better script writing in parts.
I think that the reason many people trash this movie, and Lommels films generally, is because they are too attuned to more conventional films and just want quick satisfaction without having to do too much thinking (blood, gore, violence, etc): this is typical of mainstream audiences, and obviously Lommel does not make films for mainstream audiences.
I enjoyed this film and it left me with something to think about. I recommend it to anyone interested in cannibalism or anything related to it, or anyone looking for something a bit different.
I am a devoted fan of Ulli Lommel's movies and have seen many of them, this one "Diary Of A Cannibal" is one of his best so far. I was very impressed with it.
Diary Of A Cannibal is certainly unconventional. It is part romance, part drama, and part horror, and the premise is interesting and original. The film examines the issue of cannibalism. There are not very many films that you finish watching and ponder afterwards, but I found myself lying awake thinking about this one after seeing it last night. It left me with a definite impression; both disturbed and curious.
In the movie two people, a young man and a young woman, who are intensely in love, decide that the ultimate way to consummate their love for each other is by an act of cannibalism whereby the woman kills her lover and eats his heart, and he submits willingly to the act, and this is portrayed as the ultimate act of love. This obviously conflicts severely with social and legal norms in American society, and the girl is convicted and sentenced to prison for murder, as you would expect. The film mainly examines the ethics and the psychology of the act (not the gore), and interestingly, it seems to portray the act of cannibalism sympathetically, not at all objectively. I don't believe that this is wrong, maybe the film makers are just expressing their opinion, in any case it makes for interesting viewing and it was a bold film to make.
The acting was good throughout. I sensed in the performances of the actors, particularly in that of Jilian Swanson (a very beautiful girl), real passion and feeling, and I really believed in and sympathized with her character and the inner conflict she felt because she played it so real, and with subtle conviction. The performances were subtle and morose which perfectly fitted the macabre and ponderous subject matter, and were entirely believable. The music was excellent, well suited, and well employed: very haunting and beautiful. The camera work is the typical realistic documentary style employed on many of Lommel's films, which I quite like because it brings immediacy and realism to the film, but clearly it irks many people who obviously prefer to remain more detached from the subject matter so it can be viewed purely as mindless entertainment. The only factor which costs this film stars in my opinion is the screenplay which could have been better. True, the dialog is minimal, the story is told mostly with images, but sometimes the script was a bit thin, and possibly could it have used some better script writing in parts.
I think that the reason many people trash this movie, and Lommels films generally, is because they are too attuned to more conventional films and just want quick satisfaction without having to do too much thinking (blood, gore, violence, etc): this is typical of mainstream audiences, and obviously Lommel does not make films for mainstream audiences.
I enjoyed this film and it left me with something to think about. I recommend it to anyone interested in cannibalism or anything related to it, or anyone looking for something a bit different.