When I Consume You (2021) Review

Daphne Shaw (Libby Ewing) and her brother Wilson (Evan Dumouchel) find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious stalker. As matters become more dangerous it’s clear they need to fight back, which sets them on a strange trail of revenge as their investigations echo far into the past and bring them face to face with a terrifying adversary.

When I Consume You is the third feature from Perry Blackshear, who previously helmed sublime romantic chiller The Siren (aka The Rusalka) and jolting, paranoia laced sci-fi shocker They Look Like People. If you’ve seen those films, this latest outing may feel like a step towards the mainstream but rest assured, this is only a step. As with the aforementioned films, obvious shocks are eschewed in favour of character-driven situations and devastating moments which are all the more powerful because the delivery is both precise and with so little fanfare.

As with Blackshear’s other work, it’s the relationships between a small number of protagonists which are front and centre here, none more so than the meticulously crafted bond between Daphne and Wilson, full of dialogue which falters convincingly and pulses with love as these two outsiders look to build something for themselves out of adversity. Daphne is trying to adopt and Wilson is looking to become a teacher and it’s their struggles with their everyday existence which provide a solid grounding to the more fantastical elements of the story.

The screenplay, also by Blackshear, is aware of exactly when to throw in a left turn and knows when to deliver a gut punch, one of which turns a first act on its head. This sends the tale in a different direction to the one the audience may have been expecting, opening up a world in which an entirely new series of rules and possibilities is at play but never losing sight of the heart and emotion which is crucial to making the whole thing work as the most pleasingly odd take on a revenge thriller you’re likely to come across in a while.

Yes, there’s action this time, courtesy of a smattering of offbeat brawls which are filmed in such close quarters that the viewer could feel they’re almost participating in them. Punches and kicks hurt like hell in this universe and recovery is far from instant. In line with the fisticuffs to come, there’s even the inclusion of a training montage. This is at first a passing nod to classic action tropes but soon becomes a darkly comic, doom-laden warning to the unprepared that they’re still probably going to get their arse kicked.

With such a small cast, it’s vital that the main players bring the A-game to the party as we’re going to be spending around 90 minutes with them and everyone turns in impressive work. Blackshear regulars Evan Dumouchel and MacLeod Andrews once again demonstrate why they’re trusted with carrying this kind of movie, both having to shift gears in their performances. In terms of Dumouchel, his character’s transformation is spread across the movie. For Andrews, the change in his character can happen several times within a single scene and it’s a challenging role which he seems to relish playing, his spellbinding on-screen antics skifully riding the edge of those outlandish areas which, in less capable hands, could easily tip the proceedings into parody.

Stealing the movie, for me at least, is the incredible Libby Ewing who is superb as one of our broken but unbowed heroes. Not only does she more than hold her own against her two excellent co-stars, her portrayal of Daphne looms just as large over the film as the nemesis against which she’s battling. Ewing makes the audience feel every single emotion she’s going through and it’s a rollercoaster, let me tell you. Even so, there are no grand gestures. Her work is unshowy, it’s heartfelt and it never once feels like a conscious performance. She’s thoroughly brilliant.

When I Consume You draws upon familiar elements which we’ve all seen before, such as the training montage, use of flashbacks and a series of scenes in which our not-always dynamic duo hit the streets in search of their suspect but there’s always something fresh about the way in which these are handled and its skewed view of cinema and plot touchstones is always enjoyable, set against a New York backdrop in which the bright, welcoming lights are only seen far, far away from the grimy, unvarnished reality being lived out by Daphne and Wilson.

Of course, it’s all very well me rattling on about how great the characterisations are and how well observed the writing is but when push comes to shove this is a horror movie, so does it make good on the promise attached to the genre? Absolutely. Without delving too much into spoiler territory, the multiple confrontations between good and evil are worth waiting for, the supernatural asides are just as agreeably idiosyncratic as the rest of the piece and there’s a genuinely fabulous, not to mention surprisingly subtle, jump scare which also serves as a way of ushering it in a major piece of plot development.

Key to the general feeling of unease is the audio, in which the thrums and jags of the sound design drift and pop in and out of the disquieting electronica of Mitch Bain’s delicate yet ominous score, creating an ambience somewhere between woozy reverie and all-out nightmare. Even when you can’t see the bad guy, the score supplies that uncomfortable feeling that, as in all dreams, there’s always something nasty ready to leap out from the shadows.

If all of this sounds too oblique to entertain a genre audience, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Firstly, horror fans are sophisticated, cine-literate folks – don’t hide those lights under a bushel, it’s true. Secondly, It’s easy to tune in to the unique rhythms of Blackshear’s work and the myriad subsequent rewards include realistic, well-rounded characters who don’t talk in movie soundbites and whose dilemmas are endlessly fascinating. The personal stakes for Daphne and Wilson couldn’t be higher. Because we care about these people so much the emotional beats don’t just pack a punch, they knock you into another level of consciousness.

When I Consume You is an unmissable, finespun treat which grips from the start, throwing in its own audacious twists and turns but never overstepping the mark in terms of what feels a quirk too far. It flirts with the kind of ideas that would, in other circumstances, might well be cut and pasted together to produce a serviceable multiplex hit. This is not that movie. Whenever you think it’s going to take the easy route, it doesn’t.
A memorable slice of true indie horror, this a beautiful, affecting film with an unremittingly unsettling atmosphere and a particularly resonant final act in which your emotions are definitely going for a trip through the wringer.

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