FEED- Sony Pictures- Now Playing Theatrically
Troian Bellisario’s new movie FEED provides a fascinating insider look at eating disorders, while simultaneously giving fans of thrillers an entertaining story. While those who suffer from eating disorders are the primary target audience, outsiders to that type of sickness still get to experience a captivating story, even if our takeaway is vastly different from what Troian Bellisario intended when she wrote the script.
Bellisario plays the central protagonist, Olivia, a high school senior on pace to become valedictorian. She has a twin brother named Matt (Tom Fenton), with whom she is very close. As Matt is driving Olivia home from a party they attended together, they get into an argument, leading to a crash that is fatal for Matt, and emotionally devastating for Olivia.
Olivia still interacts with “Matt,” after the crash. In my instant video reaction at bit.ly/sfffeedv I speak about how “Matt,” could either be perceived as a haunting from Matt’s ghost, a demon impersonating Matt, or as a manifestation of trauma-induced insanity in Olivia’s head. After researching “Matt’s” actual meaning, however, all three of those scenarios, although plausible and loaded with high entertainment value, are not consistent with the intent of Troian Bellisario. “Matt,” actually is supposed to be a personification of the destructive voices that some people with eating disorders hear inside their heads, a concept that makes clear sense to insiders who have had that experience.
The sharp contrast between my list of possible perceptions and the writer’s vision is actually quite eye opening, in that it further shows how we process what we see through the lens of what makes sense to us, which can often blind us to what is truly going on inside other people’s minds and hearts. While Bellisario’s goal was to help provide hope and inspiration for people with eating disorders, an endeavor that was largely successful, she also helped provide outsiders to those illnesses with a greater awareness and understanding of the need to be sensitive to people who display behaviors that we have a difficult time processing or understanding. Thus, in addition to being highly entertained, viewing the movie the way I saw it at the time I saw it, I feel as if God used this movie, and my post-viewing research on its true meaning to help make me a better person. I highly recommend this movie to mature audiences, particularly those who have experienced eating disorders.
Sean Fallon
scarletthefilmmagazine 