I am your flesh.

[elschmo]

Because I've been on a Thomas high for the past week or so, I watched Grimm Love.

Basically, the movie is about a university student, Katie (Keri Russell) doing a thesis on a notorious cannibal killer, Oliver Hartwin (Thomas ♥) in Germany. See, he'd wanted to eat someone, and through the beauty of the Internet, he found a willing victim in Simon Grombeck (Thomas Huber). She researches the two men and their pasts, and slowly, her obsession with them begins to take its toll on her.

Interestingly, the story of Oliver and Simon is based off a true story. Read more about that here.

With that out of the way, let's march onward with the review!

1. I liked it, as disturbing as it was. I thought it was rather touching. Its premise makes it seem like a horror film, sure, but at its core, it's more like a psychological piece about two lonely people who have come to find each other through a bizarre connection. I melted when Oliver told Simon after the latter freaked out about Oliver's readiness to devour him, "When we met at the train station, I knew we were meant for each other." And the poignancy and affection that hung in the air when Oliver left Simon to bleed in the bathtub - man, you could cut it with a knife.
   
   I liked that the focus of this film isn't the act of Oliver consuming Simon itself: it was more toward their lives, and how it got to that certain point. It's the same reason I liked Red Dragon: it's not so much about what someone does, it's about what happened to make that someone do what he does. It painted them as real human beings, rather than the monsters society would take them to be.
   
   I also took it the way I did with Madhouse: look past the violence and gore (not there was any in this, with which I was thoroughly surprised), and you will find a strong message within. For this and for me personally, it was that loneliness and guilt can be a debilitating thing that leads people to do drastic things, and love can be found anywhere and through anything.
   
   
2. I loved how it was shot. I loved the muted colours, but sometimes it got a little too dark for my liking. It could be my laptop settings though, so I may have to try again. (Not that I'm complaining, of course! Thomas ...
   )
   
   
3. ... Sorry.
   
   
4. Back to the review! Okay, you know what? I'm not being biased or anything, but this movie needs to be longer! Oliver's story felt a little underdeveloped. Like, what's the deal with him and his friend when he was a young boy? Or did I miss something? (Chances are, I did. I felt a little uneasy watching this with people around, so half the time I was being conscious of my surroundings and ready to pause the movie anytime.)
   
   
5. Some people say Katie was unnecessary, but I thought she was alright. Her character is meant to reflect us, the viewer, the third party in Oliver's and Simon's story. What she feels, we feel. For instance, we are drawn into their stories as she is, our curiosity growing with each development as hers does. And finally, we feel as disgusted and repulsed as she is, when the film reaches its climax in the form of Oliver and Simon carrying out their reviled deed.
   
   Then again, I suppose the film might have done just as well without her providing the narrative. Because then it would mean more screen-time for Thomas.
   
   
6. S-o-o-o ... I have to admit ... that I got turned on by Oliver being turned on. I can't help it!
   
   
7. And when he bites down on Simon and comes up with blood on his face, I was like ... "Damn."
   
   ... Okay, I know how wrong that sentence sounds, and I'm sorry. But I can't help it!
   
   
8. I also loved how they made Thomas retain certain features that Kid-Oliver had, i.e. the hair and prominent ears. It fit his character well in the sense that his mother kept him at such a tight rein, that he never quite matured properly; in some ways, he is still child-like.
   
   
9. This movie has made me appreciate Thomas as an actor even more. It is by no means a difficult role - to make someone so vile and horrific appear sympathetic instead, but he pulled it off. And he pulled it off good. It may not be a role most people would agree with, but it showed off his acting chops and that he's not just eye candy. I also admire him for taking this on: I imagine most actors would run away at the mere mention of what the role entails. (Homosexuality! Cannibalism! Specifically, eating another man's penis! Need I say more?)
   
   
10. This isn't about the movie but is still Thomas-related, so here goes. The reason I invest so much time and brainpower in "Second Chance" is that he's a main character in it, and visualising scenes, especially the intimate ones, is just ... *dies* Lucky Avery. Except, you know, not really.
    
    But seriously, "Second Chance" is the one piece of work that I pile attention on like no tomorrow, maybe with the exception of "Valentine's Day". The plot has undergone so many changes for it to be logical and perfect while I just go with the flow with some of my other stories. Of course, it could just be that I love the Resident Evil universe a lot, and Thomas is one of its many perks. After all, it was Resident Evil: Apocalypse that introduced me to him in the first place.
    
    
11. Finally, another Red Dragon reference: The scene in which Oliver's neighbour is trying to hit on him in his bedroom reminded me so much of Reba McClane and Francis Dolarhyde. It was so awkward!

Love for Thomas aside, I thought I would walk away with a "meh" attitude towards this movie. Well, I was wrong: I liked it. And the more I read about it (for this review, mostly), the more my appreciation for it grew. It's much, much more than what its brutal-sounding plot would suggest. Just as the title implies, and notwithstanding the cannibalism context, it really is a love story: one between two lost souls who find each other through the impersonality of the Internet, united by a desire stemming from personal pain. And such a disconcertingly beautiful one at that, too.

Rating: 4/5