“Eat me,” achieves a radical interpretation in Claire Denis’ (I Can’t Sleep, Beau travail) gruesome art house horror film out now in a gorgeous Blu-ray from The Film Desk.
Beatrice Dalle (Betty Blue) plays Core, a young woman who suffers a malady of the brain that makes her pick up truckers at rest stops and then chew their faces off. Her scientist husband Leo (Alex Descas) locks her up at home but she keeps escaping.
Meanwhile, a honeymooning American couple arrive in Paris and the husband Shane (Vincent Gallo) is frantically trying to find Leo, convinced he too is suffering the same disorder. Proof is the bite marks on his new bride’s (Tricia Vessey) shoulder.
This was a scandal at Cannes- people stormed out because they were either shocked or thought it was pretentious as hell. It’s a bit of both, but because Denis is such an artist the weird slow pace has a genuinely disarming effect. Gallo and especially Dalle are ideal- they both have a feral quality that’s sexy and dangerous.
In an excellent video essay by Zack Clark on the Blu-ray he describes that the film has all the tropes of gothic horror, but Denis is so defiantly non-narrative that it plays out like a languid nightmare. The gorgeous cinematography by Agnes Godard and the hypnotic score by Tindersticks help frame this sublimely transgressive film that was slammed critically when it vaguely opened in theaters in 2001. It’s in dire need of re-evaluation and appreciation. Hopefully this stunning Blu-ray will help provide that.
TROUBLE EVERY DAY has come out on Blu-ray!? Wauw. I have an old UK dvd release of the film, and I’m certainly gonna get this Blu.