DOP Richard Oakes: Feed Me

I recently had the chance to interview Writer/ Co-Director Adam Leader and Co-Director/ DOP Richard Oakes about their new horror comedy film Feed Me, which follows a guy in his quest to kill himself by Cannibal. In this interview we discuss processing trauma, finding love whether in others and or yourself and cannibal horror films.I hope you enjoy.

Q: What Was Your Message With This Film?

AD: We wanted to tell a relatable story of grief and trauma through the power of shock, gore and comedy; something we love. We wanted to make a movie that, first and foremost we were fans of so that no matter what, we could be proud when the world saw it.

RO: There are a few messages in this film, Learning to love yourself when you have low self-worth and guilt is one that resonates with me. It’s amazing what a difference to your life a little self-respect and understanding can have.

Q: What Was Your Favourite Moment From The Film?

AD: For me, it’s the final dream sequence in the woods where Jed and Olivia profess their love for each other. Liv is a figment of his imagination; and what Jed always perceived to be the devil on his shoulder fuelling his tumultuous journey, turned out to be his inner voice motivating him to fight for his life; she was his arc. That scene alone is like a massive breath of fresh air for Jed; his arc comes to this bittersweet conclusion that allows him to finally be at peace with himself before it’s too late.

RO: I Think I like the scene when Jed Finally stands up to Lionel and Lionel shows his true colours to Jed. It’s when Lionel unveils his true nasty. From there to the end is really special to me as Lionel’s character falls apart.

Q: How Inspired Were You By The Real Events?

AD: The fact that a man responded to an advert for being eaten alive and went ahead with it was inspiration enough. That in itself is so bizarre that we just had to use it as the premise for FEED ME. It’s ironic how the most unbelievable part of this movie has actually happened in real life.

Q: To What Extent Is This Film A Metaphor For Moving On And Dealing With Loss?

AD: If you lose the comedy, you’re left with an underlying subtext entirely focused on low self-worth & grief and how one overcomes it. The interesting part is how two traumatized people who are similar in so many ways can connect so well, yet go in completely different directions for better or worse, much like real life.

RO: Yes it’s about dealing with the internal demons that plague you through loss and overcoming the self-destructive nature that inevitably follows the loss of a loved one, again letting go of guilt and learning to love yourself again.

Q: What Is Your Favourite Cannibal Film?

AD: Of more recent times, it would have to be the new Dahmer series. That’s the best thing I’ve seen in a long time, let alone this year. Evan Peters is God.

RO: I would have to say Alive, it’s a fascinating film that I watched as a Kid that shows the real triumph of the human spirit against unbelievable odds and circumstances

Q: How Did You Manage The Tone Between The Comedic Elements And The Darker Ones?

AD: By wearing our hearts on our sleeves with the direction and being fully open to giving the actors the floor to experiment. From the get-go, we wanted this movie to be sprinkled with our sense of humour. It’s who we are as people, and to abstain from implementing our own personalities into our art would have resulted in a mediocre movie that lacked integrity.

RO: Like Adam said, the Comedy is very much a part of who we are and we wanted to stay true to that. The balance just came as a natural result of the way we wanted to pace it.

Q: Do You Have Any Funny Stories From Production?

AD: Neal Ward running naked through the set searching for a blood pump sticks out for me.

RO: One scene was so funny that I laughed so hard that a little wee came out.

Q: Future Plans, Sequels, Spin-Offs and Other Projects?

AD: A sequel is doubtful but there’s another project in the works that’ll hopefully see the light of day in 2023. Somebody did float the idea of doing a spin off about the two cops. I think that’d be amazing and I’d love to do a miniseries on those two bozos never solving anything.

RO: We have thrown a few sequel or prequel ideas around, but to be honest we are not really those people. I guess it also depends on demand. If FEED ME ever became cult status and there was a market for a sequel you never know.

Q: Do you Have Any Words Of Wisdom For Filmmakers Who Are Just Starting Out?

AD: Make films for you, not for others and be prepared for an uphill struggle; filmmaking is all about problem solving. Anything worth doing is never easy, but the personal reward dominates any salary in a career you’re not truly passionate about. Money doesn’t buy happiness; being open, honest and true to yourself does.

RO: START! I have lost count of the people who have told me they are working on a film but are waiting for the perfect conditions etc. These people never make a film. Myself & Adam are very much doers and we will break down barriers preventing that from happening rather than using every little hiccup as an excuse not to start.

If you would like to check out Feed Me for yourself keep an eye out for it on all good VOD platforms

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Feed Me: One Hell Of A Memorable Way To Go Out

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After suffering a loss a man, sinks into the abyss and allows a cannibal to eat him.

I thought this film was a strong dark comedy, usually I find myself fairly mixed on the genre as they can never nail the tone of their enterprise with it either being too comedic or too dramatic and dark, however this film I feel nailed the tone perfectly.

Despite the heavier elements I found this film to be quite funny and it had me laughing a lot as I was watching it. I wouldn’t say it was a laugh a minute but it was funnier than most. The inherent comedic silliness to deciding death by cannibal works well in this films favour and makes it a lot of fun to watch.

The performances across the board are all also strong, there was no one I could point to as letting the side down everyone shone. My one criticism of this film would be that it has a very slow opening act that drags the film back, however, once past that these issues soon clear up.

Overall, a lot of fun.

Pros.

The comedy

The tone

The ending

The performances

Cons.

A very slow first act

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Andor: Rix Road

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Things come to a head at the funeral of Maarva, played by Fiona Shaw.

In many senses this finale felt cathartic after all the build up of previous episodes as we do see some full scale signs of rebellion against the Empire, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that more didn’t happen.

I think the main issue for me with this episode is that it lacked stakes, unlike other episodes that have perfectly encapsulated this idea of grit and that anyone can die at any time, this one felt very plot armour heavy as you knew none of the important characters were going to die and that is where the episode lost me.

I liked the ending of the episode wherein Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally confronts Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and thought that it teased interesting things to come, but therein lies another issue with this show a lot of it is teasing things to come rather than delivering answers to big mysteries or giving us set pieces, which again is both a blessing and a curse.

Overall, a good season finale that would have been better if it had been bolder.

Pros.

The ending

The first signs of large scale rebellion

A good pace

It teases a lot of interesting directions for the next season

Cons.

There is a lot of plot armour going round and it effects the stakes of the show

It teases more than it delivers

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Bones And All: Everything Wrong With Modern Cinema, A YA Film That Thinks Its High Art

0/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young cannibalistic couple travel the US together.

Please if you will listen to just one piece of advice from a stranger on the internet today let it be this, don’t watch this film. It is just a horrible time at the cinema as it imparts the message that life is just terrible and the only way out is by your own hand as everyone you love will disappoint you and those who don’t will be taken away. There is so much darkness in this film that there is just no need for it to exist, the world is already a dark place.

Moreover, the narrative is very smug and self-indulgent thinking itself to be high art when in actual fact it is more closely resembling angst ridden YA fare, this is certainly reflected in the paper thin central romance that feels like it was written by an emo on Tumblr. Worse yet the narrative is self-defeating as the central idea of the film is Maren, played by Taylor Russell, needs to find her place in the world, yet when she finally does at the end of the film it is then taken away and she has to do it all over again showing that there was no point to the whole film.

The film also greatly fetishizes the cannibalism and has it be akin to sex at times, which feels uncomfortable from the off and never really goes away. Speaking of the film has a sex scene between Timothee Chalamet’s Lee and another man and never really addresses it or speaks about it or allows Russell’s Maren to respond to it, it is a very odd inclusion which makes the central romance narrative seem off.

Finally, if this film is seen to be an indicator for upcoming acting talent then I might just hang up my reviewing now and bid farewell to cinema for good as both of the central performances are just awful. Taylor cannot emote for one single second and other than looking shocked once or twice has the same glazed over expression for the whole film and Chalamet plays a cliched wrapped up in an emo phase. When will the internet learn that Chalamet will never be a movie star like those of old because deep down everyone knows he can’t act and that once his legion of lust fans dry up so will his acting roles.

Overall, possibly the worst film of the year.

Pros.

None

Cons.

The film is manically depressing and an unpleasant watch from the outset

It has awful paced and is on for far longer than it needs to be

It is smug and seems to think of itself as high art when in actually it is a bad YA film

The acting is awful all round

It fetishizes cannibalism

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Triangle Of Sadness: Society Is Constantly Breaking Down Around Us

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A luxury cruise quickly devolves into a battle for survival as traditional power structures break down in spectacular style.

I had heard good things going into this and for the most part it didn’t let me down. To get into the things I didn’t like about it first, as they are a lot less, I thought the pacing was pretty brutal and that the film had no business being on for as long as it is, though it does allow for quite a few fun scenes it feels overly indulgent.

That said I enjoyed the commentary of the film on society and gender and found something inherently hilarious about the Captain, played by Woody Harrelson, and Dimitry, played by Zlatko Burić, discussing philosophies as the ship was sinking around them, or the nice well-made food served on the ship making everyone sick. I thought this film very much had something to say and that it said it well.

The performances across the board were strong, with everyone having a moment to shine even those that were used sparingly had their due.

Overall, a darkly funny film that cuts quite deeply.

Pros.

The commentary

The humour

The ending

The performances, especially Harrelson

Cons.

The pace and the overly indulgent runtime

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The Royal Nanny: Maybe Megan Markle Was An Intelligence Officer Before Becoming A Royal

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After detecting a threat to the monarchy the British secret service send in Claire, played by Rachel Skarsten, to act as their agent on the inside and of course whilst there she ends up falling in love with a prince, played by Dan Jeannotte.

I enjoyed this for the most part, it wasn’t the best film I have seen all year or even all week for that matter but it was dumb escapist fun and that should count for something. I liked the nonsensical plot that despite that had a very clear ending from the beginning, and I liked that the film didn’t take itself too seriously.

I thought Skarsten was a good lead and was charming enough to carry the film and to pull off the love story. However, the rest of the cast struggled deeply and were either fairly bland in terms of their performance or were so bad at doing the type of English accent they were trying for that it was distracting. Something that wider audience might not have noticed or picked up on but something that a Brit could notice keenly.

Overall, a fun if at times wonky film.

Pros.

Skarsten

The silly plot

The romance is easy to warm to

Cons.

The accents

It is very predictable

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Spirited: Dickens Meets Dance

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A modern take on A Christmas Carol with songs and Deadpool.

There are times when this film is painfully cringe, mainly during the songs, but for the most part I enjoyed this updated take on the Dickensian world and think that it is rife for future expansion. Within the classic tale the ghosts were always the most interesting part, and this film knows that and so decides to explore them and their world more thoroughly, which is a smart move.

The songs are easily the worst part of the film and often don’t work. Some of them do land, but not enough of them. The ones that are bad either feel like knock-offs from other musicals or they feel like far too try hardy. The film even makes a joke of calling out the songs, having a whole character whose whole bit is to say really do we need more songs, but as many of you who have followed my writings for a while will know, just because you call out your own bad writing, or in this case bad songs, it doesn’t suddenly make them good.

I think both Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynold do a good job here and their friendship is quite genuinely believable, I would have liked more scenes of the two of them talking and getting to know each other and their worlds rather than all of the singing but hey that’s me.

Overall, a fun Christmas film let down by some bad songs.

Pros.

Reynolds

Ferrell

It is a lot of fun

There are some funny moments

Cons.

The songs aren’t very good

Pacing issues

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Street Smart: Save Our Souls

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After turning 18 Brooke, played by Chrystal Rothery, is forced onto the street therein enduring the horrors of homelessness.

This film really hit a nerve with me, too often we think when we see homeless people on the street that they have ended up there because of drink or drugs but far too often the real cause is bad circumstance and no societal safety net to help them when they needed it. This film explores these issues and notions around our perception of the homeless and does so in a really clever way that forces you to readdress your own beliefs.

Moreover, the message of the film, as I took it at least, that something needs to be done about the ever rising number of homeless people on our streets in that they need to be better treated, and have more means to save themselves and that as a society we have failed them is incredibly powerful and poignant.

The central performances are also both very good and encapsulate this idea of struggle to a tee.

Overall, a very worthwhile film.

Pros.

The characters

The message

The questions it raises and the statements it makes

The ending

Cons.

A bit of a slow start

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Slumberland: Hanging Out With A Pet Pig

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After losing her dad, played by Kyle Chandler, Nemo, played by Marko Barkley, ventures into a world of dreams and nightmares in order to see him one last time.

I think the strengths of this film lie on the shoulders of Jason Mamoa and Chris O’Dowd, Mamoa for his effortlessly charming nature and surprisingly endearing turn and O’Dowd for just how much human realness he brings to his role as a guy suddenly forced into being a father. Of the two I would probably give it to O’Dowd as I think a few of his scenes where he is opening up emotionally with Nemo are quite powerful, as is the ending when he is racing to save her.

In terms of wider fantasy, the film has a few interesting set pieces but is mostly by the numbers. There is nothing that you won’t have seen done before especially if you are a fan of the genre. However, I did appreciate the gothic sense of style this film has which is almost certainly a by product of its source material, there is something very ancient and other worldly about this film, especially as it rarely features smart phones.

Overall, a surprisingly good Netflix film with some strong performances

O’Dowd

Mamoa

The heart

The gothic sensibilities

Cons.

It is nothing new

The CGI is a little patchy in places

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The People We Hate At Weddings: Families Are Messy

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman, played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, invites her estranged family to her wedding. Things very predictably go badly.

I’ll be the first to say this is not the most original film out there, in fact there are a countless number of other films that have a very similar premise and message, however, despite that I still ended up enjoying my time with this film.

The main reason I felt this way was because of the great deal of heart the film can bring to the table when it wants to, moreover each of the central trio of characters and Addai-Robinson’s character are all very easy to relate to and like, they reflect the messy elements of your own personality or that of someone you know. In many senses this film is warm and affordable because it reminds us of the inherent good in the world and how a chance run in with a stranger on a plane might change your whole life, it reminds you of the bonds of family and how though we are all imperfect we need to be there for those we care about and take them as they are. Honestly, in these dark times the optimistic outlook of this film was enough to boost this film up in my opinion.

Bell, Platt, Janney and Addai-Robinson were all great, though I would say the scene stealer and breakout star of the film was Dustin Milligan as he really was a great romantic interest that really seized on the opportunity and potential of his character.

Overall, though it is nothing new in any sense, it was nice and comforting and sometimes that is enough.

Pros.

Bell

Janney, Platt and Addai-Robinson

The warmth

The message of messy families

Cons.

It is quite played out

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