He was a boy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?
He works in customer service for a food delivery company, and she makes mukbang videos online. What more can I say?
Okay, lyrically not quite as catchy as the original, but Cannibal Mukbang has enough originality, style and millennial flair for itself. When the shy Mark (Nate Wise) has an unconventional meat meet cute with the beautiful Ash (April Consalo), he can’t believe his luck. Despite the misogynistic encouragement of his older brother to embrace promiscuity, socially awkward Mark is looking for the real deal.
The story may not follow the path of typical fairytales, but it is 2025 after all. For a start, gender roles are reversed. Instead of Ash falling into Mark’s arms after he gallantly slays the dragon, he instead falls into the path of her car. Rather than the feature focusing on the doe eyed maiden seeking her prince charming, we follow the infatuated, and admittedly slightly nerdy, Mark in his ultimate quest for love.
A long pig love story that romanticises the essence of the millennial generation, ‘Cannibal Mukbang’ is the debut feature of writer and director Aimee Kuge.
For those not as terminally online as I, ‘mukbang’ refers to the trend of individuals recording or live streaming themselves eating large quantities of food. Originating in South Korea, mukbang became a global trend with influencers achieving fame and notoriety for their videos. It’s a curious phenomena, mixing elements of ASMR, taboo sexuality and playful voyeurism.
I must say, as an avid food enthusiast myself, it does seem like a dream career. But there is definitely a dark side too. A quick google of Nikocado Avocado will give you some idea of the pitfalls of focusing your life on such a venture. The unfortunate path taken by our protagonists in this case could be described as unexpected but.. well, it’s right there in the title.
Cannibal Mukbang is stylish, bold and fashionable, with a playful pinch of darkness bursting through once you take the first bite. Whilst the audience reels from the body horror depicted, the underlying themes of toxic romance progresses an intriguing and thoughtful narrative. It can be easy to get swept up in the exhilarating honeymoon phase, but what do you do when you have to face the mundane reality of a relationship?
Visually, Cannibal Mukbang is delicious. The carefully curated meat platter looks disconcertingly mouth watering; my compliments to the chef.
Surprisingly polished for a first feature, the playful colour and humour feel like an intentional homage to the B movies the genre is known for. To those in their late 20’s to late 30’s, the style and dialogue will feel wryly relatable. However, much like a time capsule, I imagine some may watch Cannibal Mukbang and just not get it. Those that do though are in for a feast.
Whilst Kruge’s love for schlock B movies is apparent, a silent flashback scene shot on Super 8 injects an arthouse element that really highlights the directors vision and cinematic passion. Whilst stylistically it is very different to the rest of the feature, film lovers will appreciate the attention to detail in the craft.
Every element is carefully considered, with the accompanying score adding to intensify the story. During a particularly poignant moment within the silent flashback scene, the score swells in tandem with the growing power of the flame haired femme, something I found reminiscent of the commanding musical accompaniment to Julia Ducournau’s coming of age body horror, ‘Raw’. I suppose with ‘Raw’ being a firm favourite of mine, it’s no surprise I loved this.
Some criticism of the film I have encountered draws on the perceived lack of depth (or flesh, if you want to lean in to a more fitting metaphor) in Ash’s character. On reflection, I propose an alternative view.
Whilst eliciting a dreamy, romantic atmosphere, the soft pink lighting also conjures up the notion of Mark’s ‘rose tinted’ perception. He finds himself lost in the novelty of new love, willing to ignore the glaring red flags that are the true cause of the rosy hue. Once the viewer becomes aware of the skewed perception through the lens of hormone addled puppy love, is there more to say about society’s willingness to dismiss flaws in favour of prioritising beauty? If this were a woman, we would be screaming at our screens, ‘Get out! He’s not worth it!’. But ultimately, Ash is (as alluded to earlier in the film) a manic pixie dream girl. If social media is to be believed, flaws are something to be scoffed at and dismissed, even the homicidal ones, because she’s probably crazy in bed.
I think there is a lot to be said of the allegories present within Cannibal Mukbang, but similarly if you just want to experience a silly, blood filled love story, you’re covered. Kruge is firmly representing strong women in horror who aren’t afraid to get nasty, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Cannibal Mukbang is available to rent or buy in the UK on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
Til’ next time..
