A man is in bed with his girlfriend sleeping on her side. He looks to her shapeless back for a few moments until she rolls over and faces him, the figure of her body being clear but not her features in the darkness. Where her face belongs there is a black hole, an intimate and awful darkness that remains unidentifiable as shadows are cast on it or if there’s something terrible on the bed with him. While waiting anxiously for a jump scare, he stares into an empty void but nothing happens. Instead we have the abyss.
This first scene from Perry Blackshear’s debut film, They Look Like People sets the tone for a career that often gazes into such abysses with paranoia, sadness and horror. One lo-fi gem later came The Siren, which was a romantic horror movie and now When I Consume You which is Perry’s third feature film where he served as writer, director, editor, producer and cinematographer. He is also naturally inclined to work collaboratively so he has some actors and producers who perform in all his projects making this their darkest one yet; it is also brings to life deep thoughts about pain and survival.
Since When I Consume You revolves mostly around torture and distress, it doubles as Blackshear’s most straightforward genre piece till date because it runs off horror as its method of expression excellently well. The movie centers around Wilson Shaw and Daphne who had hard life. Having not drank alcohol for five years now but spent ten years self-destruction Daphne has decided to support Will through life. Wilson on the other hand is a quiet guy who suffers from severe panic attacks due probably to ailments either physiological or emotional.
Both are trying to move forward; Daphne wants to adopt while Wilson (or Will) wishes to be come a teacher eventually… Yet ones past demons would seldom go away like they do seem almost anything else figurative about Daphne and Wilson’s personal demons. These are people who have become haunted in a manner where it ceases to be emotional metaphor and becomes literal fact, but her brother’s safety is paramount for Daphne even at the cost of her own life.
Will and Daphne have a special relationship in When I Consume You that demonstrates how much they had to lean on each other as they worked through life’s difficulties. Evan Dumouchel’s performance as Will is superb, yet very different from what he usually does in Blackshear films. With his long beard and permanently tired, sore eyes, Will is one of those people who are both optimistic enough and ignorant enough to apply for this teaching position without completing more than one year at college. Teaching him how to tie a tie instead of learning on his own or having an ironed shirt burnt during the interview seems lame- This city can be so cruel; therefore, he resembles just another face among many others who will always trample upon him due to their sorrowful existence.
A new recruit of Blackshear’s small group, Libby Ewing is wonderful as Daphne, who is a tough woman whose life is full of pain and disappointment as she tries to assimilate into a harsh world that wounds her every day and other poor working-class people. Although she does not exactly have Daphne’s immediate family history in her depiction of the character, Ewing’s performance taps into the strength it takes to stay clean for five years despite suffering chronic abuse ever since childhood, being broke most of the time, and having an older sibling with anxiety problems that sometimes lead him to show up at three in the morning freaking out over nothing along with a real demon who wants to take her soul from her.
I can’t ruin When I Consume You’s wonderfully organic story twists; however, it doesn’t rely on surprising its viewers either. Unlike much movies with ‘unexpected’ twists this movie can be watched multiple times with many small details exposed over time. The greatest spoiler for When I Consume You does not lie in its plot, but rather how emotionally painful, raw and moving it is for a movie about demons, ghosts and supernatural spirits. Only few horror films of recent times have been able to depict suffering so truly.
To some degree or another When I Consume You is about finding happiness or meaning within the misery and pain of life itself. This perhaps explains why there are frequent references to philosophical/spiritual/political texts which seekers have turned for help so that they may discover themselves like The Heart Sutra or Franklin Roosevelt’s second inaugural address (“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little”), among others by William Blake:
Daphne seeks something more: someone trying desperately hard to fill holes once stuffed full with drugs and alcohol; these are also abysses that Blackshear often peers into with his movies. On the other hand, Wilson becomes a seeker in some way too.
As a result of which Ewing and Dumouchel dominate When I Can Consume You, whose main focus is on sibling bond. Ewing is so subtly brilliant here and I hope forever that such an actress keeps working with Blakeshear’s semi-acting group, while Dumouchel is great as we said. At the same time though, there are moments in MacLeod Andrews’ performance that are almost comedic in nature but also frightening.
In this movie, Andrews and Dumouchel broke character – their first meeting and subsequent conversation being one of the best scenes in the film. They are two actors who should be naming the names; Andrew’s underrated stuff is so fluid to play any role from anywhere at any day when he feels like it; only few people know about this (and how good looking he is), he can always go off script for improvisation still playing within character.
Blackshear continues to be outstanding on all counts here. He is one of the best at shooting horror night scenes, as well as shots for fear being magnified and close-ups for emotions. As an editor with Or Ben David and Kevin Tran serving as his co-editors, he is very effective; in fact, he ties up every end so concisely that he may seem like too much of a perfectionist. Extra 20 minutes added through longer takes (especially towards the end) would not only entertain fans of a great movie even more but also space out the final act slightly by providing more narrative exposition while allowing for further character development.
Blackshear remains one of the most talented creators of characters in horror cinema. His characters are never just tools for advancing plot or empty vessels for jump scares scored loudly and when I consume you maintains his attention to details with few characters. This is also largely attributed to the great acting, who are essentially cast members too; Blackshear’s movies are truly independent like these little summer schools where no studios have any say and it consists of small groups of passionate artists going out into the world to make something real and important them. Everyone here gives their all, which can’t be said about most other films.
Ultimately When I Consume You is an absolutely authentic film about pain and suffering that feels really raw and honest (in both senses). It’s about accepting that we live in an occasionally cruel, malicious and miserable world (particularly from the working class perspective), as well as how to be contented amid this struggle for survival. This isn’t easy nor does that make it any easier sometimes on film. It’s painful and disheartening to watch but ultimately hopeful without being trite or naive The hopefulness expressed in this movie does not serve merely as anti-depressant prescription written carelessly but offers life amidst affliction silently. In essence When I Consume You seems to say, “It won’t be alright” and that’s perfectly fine. We will get through it together.
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