Cannibal Mukbang (CFF) Delights with Sugary Sweet Romance Against a Comically Murderous Backdrop

Title: Cannibal Mukbang

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Aimee Kuge

Writer: Aimee Kuge

Runtime: 104 Minutes

Starring: April Consalo, Nate Wise, Clay von Carlowitz

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Chattanooga Film Festival in 2024.

What does it mean to fully commit to someone you love? Many people in various stages of relationships contend with the reality that it’s hard to know if a person is right for them or not. Does it come down to values? Attraction? Interests? Similar goals in life?

Awkward recluse Mark (Nate Wise) doesn’t consider these questions until he meets Ash (April Consalo), a vivacious woman who enters his life after accidentally hitting him with a car. After she spends the night nursing him back to health, Mark finds himself smitten with Ash, whom he finds out later is a Mukbanger, a person who eats food on the internet for others to watch. Mark learns that Ash might feel the same way too, and a romance begins to blossom slowly. As he gets to know Ash, he finds out that there are more secrets in her life than her unusual choice in career.

Delightfully silly and surprisingly affecting, Cannibal Mukbang is a sweet horror romance that dissects misogyny in fresh ways.

Flipping the horror romance genre on its head, Cannibal Mukbang offers an alternative pathway to the typical story progression one might find when perusing the genre. What starts as a cute, but not traditional, romance morphs into something more serious and sinister when Ash’s true intentions are revealed. By staying true to the romance genre, the danger Mark is in pales in comparison to others in the film, but even he cannot withstand the revenge element that lingers in the story once introduced in the second act. This leads to a sharp examination of the sexual politics found in traditional heterosexual dating practices and the current state of gender politics in the United States.

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The development of both Nate and Ash into fully realized characters helps bring the film’s more important themes to life. Not merely the manic pixie dream girl she is perceived to be in the first ten minutes, Ash’s backstory reveals a more haunted side to her. While easily pegged as a quirky cannibal killer, Ash has reason to fear and resent men after the childhood tragedy that left her sister dead and herself traumatized. True tragedy arises when Ash lets her guard down around Nate, allowing him into her world, only for him to reveal himself a coward. It’s equally heartbreaking and infuriating for her, but indicative of male self-preservation and comradery.

Nate’s incurable shyness and inability to stand up for himself, or anyone, makes for a nice reversal of roles. His only friend is his overtly womanizing brother and the only woman he speaks to on a regular basis is his therapist. Nate is a loner, a pushover, and an idealist. All of these combine with Nate’s nice guy persona to where, after helping Ash kill off countless creeps, he gets cold feet the second it ends up his brother is one and the same. Nate’s reluctance to stay true to his and Ash’s pact showcases his gutlessness and hypocrisy. Of course, every man postures that they are against slimeballs and sex pests, but how many follow through when it is a father, brother, uncle, friend, or cousin?

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These characters wouldn’t work without April Consalo and Nate Wise’s impeccable chemistry. Both relatively unknown actors bounce off each other with a certain playfulness that makes Cannibal Mukbang feel alive with magic and heart. Consalo expresses deep range when recounting her tragic backstory before sliding back into her manic pixie dreamgirl aesthetic before things get too intense. Wise engenders a certain charm that can only be found in the quiet ‘aw shucks’ attitude that Nate embodies even when faced with angry call center customers or his brother’s relentless bravado.

At times, the film’s mumblecore approach to storytelling does stall the film’s growing tension. Ash and Mark’s surprising fling hits patches of hot and cold throughout the film, which leads to many moments where the story halts. This oftentimes leads to Mark consulting the advice of his brother or his therapist before returning back to the allure of Ash. The sweeter character moments come from these lulls, but they tend to overstay their welcome as much of the information becomes repetitive. This same problem affects the humor of the film too, with a few instances where bits get stretched a bit too thin to land with the necessary impact.

It won’t be for everyone, but Cannibal Mukbang is a surprisingly fun watch with some decidedly dark themes. Consalo and Wise have fantastic chemistry, bringing to life their endearingly clumsy romance that edges closer to tragedy as the film meets its grisly end. Its sharp commentary on the pervasiveness of rape culture reminds audiences that many problems with modern dating stem from the violence women face at the hands of terrible men, and how there are more elements at play than the sole actions of those men alone. Cannibal Mukbang is a feast for those who can appreciate the simpler, and stranger, ingredients of what makes a horror film successful.

Overall Score? 7/10