U.S. helmer Brett Leonard (“The Lawnmower Man,” “Virtuosity”) floors the gross-out pedal in Aussie production “Feed,” a cop thriller located in the underworld of men turned on by overweight women. A supposed essay on obsession and consumption, pic is best served to zealots of midnight fare and niche ancillary. Theatrical rollout Down Under looks unlikely, but “Feed” gets a limited U.K. release Feb. 17.
If Troma launched a “classics” division, “Feed” would fit comfortably in its stable. Pic turned heads last year at fantasy fests with its graphic depiction of male “feeders” who fatten compliant women to gargantuan proportions and parade them on web sites as prized “gainers.” The main game here is escalating grotesquerie. Leonard injects the visual verve required to entertain anyone seeking the outre sexual couplings, force feeding via funnels and tubes, and such like. Lead perfs are just adequate, with name actor Jack Thompson (also an exec producer) scoring little more than a cameo. Film furnishes fair gloss on a lean budget, well served by Steve Arnold’s crisp, mobile HD lensing and convincing make-up effects.