FILM GUTTER REVIEWS: ​EXCESS FLESH (2015)

Dir. Patrick Kennelly, USA, 103 minS

One of the great joys of doing Film Gutter is stumbling across absolutely random movies – it's one of the reasons I initially set up the series and has brought me to some great and good movies. Excess Flesh very much qualifies as one of those movies that I came to knowing literally nothing about. The premise sounded vaguely interesting though, and I've never been shy of just taking a punt on something, so I decided to head right on in for this one.

Excess Flesh is a dark psychological thriller centred on roommates Jennifer and Jill. Jennifer is a model who loves nothing more than partying and sleeping around, while Jill is a much more secluded character. She also has deep issues with food, barely eating and basically vomiting it up when she does. The relationship between them begins friendly but steadily goes downhill, with Jill being unemployed and spending much of her time criticising Jennifer's lifestyle, while Jennifer is in the habit of sleeping with men Jill has an interest in. The tension between them in the early stages is well played, and both of their underlying issues bubble away really nicely. In fact the performances from both actresses are very good indeed, and this early interaction between the two of them is powerful stuff. I was really hopeful for something good as the first half an hour or so played out.

However I do feel as though the whole thing starts to fall apart around the 45 minute mark, when Jill takes the extreme measure of kidnapping Jennifer and chaining her up in their bathroom. It simply feels too soon in the tale for that to happen, and the motivations for the act never feel entirely clear to me. What comes next is either pretty slow and tedious or simply doesn't make a huge deal of sense. Some of the more unintelligible scenes are a truly bizarre confrontation with the police, a very strange dream sequence that begins with a whole host of cameras and clapperboards clearly visible, and an ending that was extremely hard to wrap my head around. It's obviously trying to be somewhat meta and alternative, but I don't think it really sticks in this instance.

My first impression was that the last half/two-thirds of this movie was absolute nonsense, but the more I've thought about it the more I think it's actually all building up to a twist ending. I wouldn't like to stake my reputation on it, but even if that twist is there I don't think it improves the movie. In fact its one of the clumsiest and hackneyed twists I've ever seen, if my interpretation is correct, and if that take is right I somehow think that's even worse.
 
There are redeeming features with this movie, particularly in the shape of the two lead performances and some of the visual stylings – it gets a little over the top in places, but there are some beautiful shots in the film. However I just overall feel that all that is let down by the storyline and the random wanderings that go on in the second half of film – honestly that just makes it all the more frustrating when you have a very strong opening to build form. There's an overriding sense after it all that this movie is not quite as clever as it thinks it is, especially with its finale.

RATING: 3/10. The movie this reminded me of was Jimmy Weber's Eat, which I come to think of increasingly fondly over time. This one tackles similar areas of female friendships, pursuing a high-profile career and the psychological issues it can bring. But Excess Flesh's take on body dysmorphia feels a bit too on the nose, and generally the film tails off in the second half barring one or two scenes. I genuinely can't blame either of the lead actresses involved – in fact it obvious they're giving everything and worked hard on their respective roles – but I feel like the directing and especially the plotline are really holding this one back. There's also a sense it's trying a little too hard stylistically – in fact you could say numerous things feel done a bit to excess, so it's a less than stellar 3/10 from me.