Antonia Bird
L'Insaziabile

19th century. During the civil war between the United States and Mexico, Captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce) is captured by the Mexicans. He manages to escape and is sent to a fort in the Sierra Nevada inhabited by strange characters. Everything seems to go smoothly until a man named Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle) arrives near the fort.

Sometimes one feels more satisfied when witnessing something positive without having any prior knowledge of its existence. "Ravenous" is indeed an almost entirely unknown film that was poorly advertised, but like many times happens, it is certainly better than the dozens and dozens of trashy films that are thrown onto our screens every year with millions of dollars. Directed by Antonia Bird (whom I honestly had never heard of), "Ravenous" is a decidedly complex work, constantly balancing between thriller and horror. The trigger element of the entire story is one of the most shocking themes that humanity has had to confront: cannibalism. Speaking of this, the first drawer of the mind that opens talks to us about our own Cannibal Holocaust, a gem of unheard-of violence. Bird's feature has little to do with Deodato's film, except for the main theme, which is cannibalism that brings to mind ancient blood stories or real practices still in use in various tribes scattered around the globe. Antonia Bird combines in her film beliefs about cannibalism with references to lycanthropy, that is, being forced to endure for the rest of one's life the infamy of eating one's own kind. The entire work moves on a continuous game of references to past events, killings, and above all, fear. Fear even of the most loyal friend, who might be hiding concealed desires for "food." Therefore, strong scenes are not lacking, even if the director does not overly emphasize this aspect.

This cannibalistic terror in others is well conveyed on screen by Guy Pearce's hesitant character, an American army captain unsure of his role. However, the real "star" (in every sense) of the film is Robert Carlyle, first as the cannibal survivor and then as an officer. The story of the two characters intertwines into a single figure, splendidly recalled by the actor, who embodies one of the most infamous roles I have ever seen in a film.

"Ravenous" is a raw and icy film, enhanced by a soundtrack that vaguely recalls Neil Young, who lent his guitar to "Dead Man," a film from which Bird draws violence and the dreamlike presence of some scenes. It's a pity that such an interesting and violent film is little known to the general public. Certainly, we're not faced with an epochal masterpiece, but Bird's film is watchable and doesn't shy away from punches to the gut with absolute effectiveness. After all, "Ravenous" is a victim of the cinematic system: one of the many films sacrificed for their content that isn't suitable for the audience (a fate that also befell, for a certain period, "The Road" by the Australian John Hillcoat, which seems should be released in Italy in a few days after months of denied distribution).

Antonia Bird's "Ravenous" is a film that intertwines different genres with great naturalness and leaves a strange sense of bitterness...