Excess Flesh (2015)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Jennifer (Mary Loveless) and Jill (Bethany Orr) are the odd couple. Jennifer is a model and Jill is 130 pound bulimic. Jill's mother suffers from substance abuse and Jill is clearly not wrapped too tight. Jennifer has gotten out of an abusive relationship and mistreats Jill. Jennifer pushes Jill until we reach the picture on the DVD cover.We get a lot of close ups of the girls eating and smacking their lips, talking while eating, and spitting out their food. They rented the apartment with the chains in the wall, something that must be an option in LA.I imagine this is supposed to me a story of two abused people who come to live together and make matters worse. I got bored watching them eat scene after scene after scene. More drama than thriller. It was like watching "Knock Knock" without the guy plus food.Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Bethany Orr, Mary Loveless)

At first viewing, Excess Flesh is a story about an obsessed woman who imprisons her sexy roommate in a twisted attempt to bring them together -- a story of self-loathing, jealousy, love-hate, rage and, finally, about revenge and making right all things evil. Ultimately, it's a scathing commentary on hyper-consumerism, where more is more and never enough. Excess Flesh is the state of the world through the lens of its empathic, embittered interpreter, Director, Patrick Kennelly. This is a world of consumerism, a world where one's identity is determined by what they wear, how they look, who they know and how they measure up to the cruel and impossible standards or abandon all hope. This work is both a seminal work and a masterwork – a view of a dysmorphic world through the piercing mind's eye of the film's creator. This is not torture horror. This is a cunning complex film and the film reveals more and more the more you watch it. More is more. Consume. More.The acting in this film is cult status. Bethany Orr's performance places her firmly in the ranks of Isabelle Adjani in Zulawski's classic "Possession." Orr's performance is not to be missed … nor is it to be misunderstood. Take time to indulge in this actor's revelations of character, nuance and the human condition. It is a visceral, infinite, and a deeply instinctive interpretation of one's loss of one's soul to the societal mediation of one's self.Excess Flesh was a risk to make. Films like Excess Flesh are a risk for investors. Excess Flesh is a smartly produced hybrid genre film and the filmmakers deserve praise. Congrats to Exec Producer Dennis Garcia and Walking to the Moon Productions, for taking a chance on a film that needed to be made and for recognizing the talents of the filmmakers. You're a hero to indie filmmakers everywhere … Make more, please.Excess Flesh is not for the weak of mind, heart, or soul. Take a look. Take your time and let happen. I recommend that you watch it more than once. Do it in excess.

6.25 of 10. Are they roommates or just 2 versions of the same person happening within a psychotic aspiring model with a tendency to binge on eating, sex, and self abuse? Either way, you get 2 similar looking actresses, a slender model and a plump mess, playing the lead rolls.As simply horror and gore, it doesn't pick up until the latter part of the film. The first half is essentially dedicated to setting up the characters and their/her various disorders/psychoses. That does set up a mystery angle to it and make the film more enjoyable and less predictable as to where it's going.It's rare to get so much character depth, plot, gross-out scenes, horror, and hot ass shots in the same film. Worth a watch even though it makes a mistake at the end with not really completing the story and going with more of a setup for a sequel.

Which is really a shame. Because the movie or rather the idea behind the movie has a lot of potential. There are glimpses of genius hidden here somewhere. Unfortunately they are very well hidden and can actually not be found. And that's because the movie indulges in hammering its point home. I don't think you always have to be subtle, but you also have to be respectful to the viewers and their intelligence.The acting has its ups and downs too. The social commentary drowns in that as it does in the editing (or rather lack of it at times). Of course some would argue that it's necessary to have a scene go on for a very long time, so that the dread of a situation is felt by the viewer. And I would agree to that but just to a point. Because if you have scenes after scenes, that are telling the same story/point, you're way beyond proving a point, you're into boring territory to put it mildly. A shame, but maybe also a learning process for the next one