Film Review: WHEN I CONSUME YOU: Despite Explosive Third Act, Supernatural Family Drama Never Sparks Interest [Fantasia 2021]

When I Consume You Review

When I Consume You (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Perry Blackshear, starring Libby Ewing, Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, Margaret Ying Drake, Mick Casale, Kiara Jones, Jeff Musillo, Claire Siebers, and Adam Stovall.

There’s something to admire about low-budget indie horror, and Fantasia’s more than welcome to do just that. But there’s also a difference between being rough around the edges and rough at the core, and Perry Blackshear’s When I Consume You falls into the latter.

In modern-day Brooklyn, Daphne Shaw (Libby Ewing), a recovering addict, and her older brother Wilson (Evan Dumouchel), who suffers some sort of social impairment, support each other as they struggle to survive in their working-class lives. The two have been close since childhood, as Daphne who, despite her younger age, always stood up for Wilson against their abusive parents. Wilson has never been able to give her much in return but his unwavering loyalty and love, and he hopes to someday have an ounce of the courage she possesses.

Daphne desperately wants a child so she can be the loving mother she never had, and Wilson wants to get out of his low-paying janitorial work so he can support himself and stop burdening his sister. After Wilson fails another job interview, he goes to see Daphne (who was just denied adoption once again) only to find her dead, as a figure shrouded in darkness disappears past her fire escape.

Everyone is convinced that Daphne killed herself but Wilson is thoroughly convinced that she was murdered, and won’t rest until he hunts her killer down. But that journey will break his body and his spirit, as revenge blinds him to the safety of his own present reality and an evil force from his past once again rears its ugly head.

When I Consume You may be a lo-fi family drama (emphasis on ‘lo-fi’) with horrific supernatural flair, but the extent to which that combination actually works – or is even competently utilized – is incredibly uneven. The three acts’ seams line up like clockwork, delineating plot shifts every 30 minutes from dysfunctional sibling relationship to ghost-story Rocky to off-the-rails demonic thriller in a tonally jarring manner. Each segment is passable on its own but as a whole are awkwardly stitched together, complimented by both camera and editing choices that are either patronizing in their lack of trust in their audience or pretentious in their attempt to generate a tedious air of mystery.

The handheld cinematography of deep-focused wobbliness that Blackshear occasionally resorts to, complete with an audible shakiness of internal mic ruffling, recalls a found-footage aesthetic that makes no sense because, first and foremost, this isn’t a found-footage film. However, it also doesn’t serve as any stylistic commentary on the genre outright, nor as a personification of Daphne and Wilson’s tormented psyches (at least not in any discernible fashion). It’s not only a blatant sign of budgetary constraints, but also of technical laziness.

On that note, Ewing and Dumouchel are fully dedicated in their performances but Blackshear gives them very little to work with beyond cliché signifiers of mental illness and addiction. It makes it difficult to invest in their arcs and it frames the ultimate “reveal” in a shallow and projected light, which undermines both whatever message Blackshear is trying to convey about inherited demons and the stylistic audacity which makes the final 30 minutes the most fun the film has going for it. Andrews certainly has a blast as he bounces off the wall in his supporting role, but until that unsettling third act turn he’s more or less just an annoying antagonist.

I don’t want to be one to bag on the amateur and DIY filmmaking crowds, as that’s essentially punching down when there are so many more deserving targets to punch up at (with deeper pockets and shittier morals, no less). That DIY mode is also how my friends and I cut our teeth, and I still find many gigs within those workspaces. It’s where passion, gumption, and unbridled creativity fuel artistic works, and for all their flaws they still leave you with an immense sense of joy and pride.

But I’m only human, and I can only tolerate so much … which is to say that having two fully-clothed, mental-breakdown-in-the-shower scenes within the first 30 minutes really speaks to the levels of nuance and originality we’re working with here. It’s like It Comes At Night in terms of foggy metaphor, but somehow less tactful in its execution of it. Call me cynical, but someone’s third feature shouldn’t play like their first.

When I Consume You is a valiant effort with plenty of potential, but it’s weighed down by shoddy construction and dull metaphors. This is a demon that shouldn’t be exorcised, but straight-up ignored.

Rating: 4/10

Leave your thoughts on this When I Consume You review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more Fantasia International Film Festival news can visit our Fantasia International Film Festival Page, our Film Festival Page, and our Film Festival Facebook Page. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard.