150 Words About . . .OMNIVOROS (2013)

by James Newman

This Spanish film reminded me of one of my favorite short stories, “The Secret Shih Tan” by Graham Masterton.  A food critic investigates “clandestine restaurants”, where rich patrons dine on exotic dishes you won’t find on the menu at McDonald’s.  When our hero’s search for the ultimate taboo leads to a group of people who feast on human flesh, he’s forced to reconsider how far he’s willing to go to further his career.  For a film about cannibalism, I admired how Omnivoros avoided splashing blood n’ guts around.  While there are gory moments — one involving boiling water and a straight-razor made me cringe — the story is structured like a mystery, which makes the sick stuff even more shocking when it happens.  Like the forbidden feasts at the heart of the film, no one seems to have heard of Omnivoros and that’s a shame.  It certainly deserves more attention.

For English subtitles, view trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaZBTUYbxpY