I had a chance to view Trouble Every Day at the Cinemuerte film festival here in Vancouver, and I felt the need to talk about it, as it's an extraordinary film, yet one which I'll never see again. The film, much like Abel Ferrera's 'The Addiction', features a twist on a well treaded horror device, in this case, Cannibalism, and treats it as a horrendous disease which afflicts someone, and the horrors that person, and as well the people around them suffer. Vincent Gallo, who is terrific here, plays a newlywed who takes his new wife to France for a honeymoon. It is soon learned that he is also searching for a college friend, who with Gallo, participated in experiments during their college days which have left them scarred and ravenous. Gallo seems to be fine, keeping his cannibalistic urges to a minimum, but his college mate, played with unabandon by Beatrice Dalle, is not. As a matter of fact, this is probably the most hateful character I have ever witnessed in a movie. She frequently lures men for sex, and when the sex drive kicks in, that's when the cannibalistic urges start. Much of the cinema in the past has treated Cannibalism either in a sci fi vein (much like George Romero's "dead" movies) or for use as shock value. (Cannibal Holocaust) Very rarely has cannibalism gone down to a believable state (the only film that I can think of right now is 'Alive', but the victims were already dead, and frozen). Much of the films, were of the fantastic vein, "this won't happen here" sort of thing. While the film does take place in France, the director, Claire Denis has made the fate of the characters so realistic and haunting that it's hard to shake off. This brings me to the most ghastly, frightening and sad scene I probably have seen ever. A young man is seduced by Dalle's character, and they proceed to have sex. During which, her impulses start to take over and proceeds to bite into his neck. What follows are the most primal, maddening, shocking, screaming coming from the male - It's hard to describe. He's crying, screaming, shaking. While this is happening, like some wild animal, Dalle starts playing with the terminally injured man, nipping, playing with pieces of flesh, and kissing him. Sickening, scary, hateful, disgusting, haunting. The scene is all of these, but it's amazingly well done, and probably will stick with me for a long time. All in all, I probably won't see Trouble Every Day for a long time (if at all). Don't get me wrong, I think the film is an amazing accomplishment, one of those hooror movies that truly get under your skin and stays there. It's just a movie that is truly hard to like.
Review of Trouble Every Day
