Feed the Light (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Aug 02, 2017
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Review

Making a splash at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in 2014 and consequently taking home the prize for Best Feature, Feed the Light is an impossible to categorize slice of Lynchian nightmare fuel, the likes of which are rarely equaled for its overt peculiarity. Following the tale of a woman who infiltrates a warehouse where her kidnapped daughter has been taken to and discovering a group of janitors who contend with sealing away an enigmatic box of light in an otherworldly dimension, it constantly tips the scales of logic while bordering on the verge of impenetrability.

Swedish filmmaker Henrik Möller and his cast and crew have assembled a totally unique vision. An unusual film for sure, Feed the Light becomes more and more convoluted the more it continues on, and by the point that you reach the end, you’re all out of reasoning and left feeling completely defeated by it. It’s not an easy film to tackle, and the fact that it’s in Swedish makes it all the more difficult to discern. You’re often left with questions and the film gives you little time to work things out before moving on to the next event. Where are we? Who are these people? Why are they doing what they’re doing, and for what purpose?

None of the film’s characters are really worth rooting for either. All of them, including the supposed protagonist, offer little reason to care about them. They’re abrasive and unwieldy the majority of the time with little room for anything else. Above all, Feed the Light is more of an exercise in comprehension. Believe me, once you’ve seen black liquid oozing out of a puckering anus, you’ve lost all sense of critique. This film should really come with a warning: It’s simpler just to sit back and let the experience happen. Otherwise, the bizarreness of it all might absorb you.”

When it comes to Feed the Light’s Blu-ray presentation by Severin Films (Intervision), one must keep in mind that it has a very intentional look and that it was shot with HDV cameras. That said, the results are worthwhile. Although primarily in black and white, there are occasional bursts of color. Blood, for instance, has a strong burgundy hue to it. Meanwhile, the black and white cinematography features many blown out white levels for effect. Black levels, mostly those having to do with the darkness creatures, are deep, but not in all cases. The Swedish 2.0 LPCM soundtrack has a deep and pulsating quality to it. Rhythmic dips of LFE mixed with sound effects that are not always present, and dialogue that’s clean and clear when intended to be so. Again, these are stylistic choices. Truth be told, like the film itself, it’s difficult to critique the A/V quality because it’s so intentionally off the wall. It’s perfectly watchable for what it is, and not much more needs to be said than that. Optional subtitles are included in English, as well as a couple of extras: a 15-minute Making of Feed the Light segment; the 5-minute The Lovecraft Influence – an interview with co-writer/director Henrik Möller; and the film’s trailer.

Feed the Light comes from a single voice, that much is clear. It’s not often that a filmmaker creates something so utterly offbeat, yet effective at the same time. It’s definitely not for everybody, but it’s certainly for those who have exhausted all other artistic avenues in cinema and wish to explore the outer recesses of it. This Blu-ray release is certain to aid in that capacity.

- Tim Salmons