Ever Seen It: Parents

In 1989 a 3 million dollar film was released in 94 theaters, grossing a total of 870,000 dollars in the 5 months that it was in theaters. Available now to watch on Hulu, You Tube and iTunes (for .99 cents), this low budget film has received many a poor review. What is it about Halloween that we will sit through the worst of films (Saw VI?) for anything (like an $8.50 ticket)?
So I watched it.
The film is about a young boy, who may have some mental dementia (he seems to be obsessed with blood and gore), who believes his parents are cannibals (The film was released in Germany as "Daddy ist ein Kaniballe"). He attends school where the teachers and students all believe him to have mental issues. (What parents would ever eat human meat?) The boy follows his father to his job, where the father works testing chemicals on various subjects, including a The social worker (who is very much a child herself) ultimately believes the child and follows him to his household.
The film was unique, if anything. With a Harold and Maude feel to it, the boy's fantasies about death and dying are intriguing, given that they are premonitions into the acts of the parents. The acting, especially on the boys part, is very subtle – almost disturbingly so. That might be partly why the story seems to do so well for how low-budget the film actually was. Unfortunately, it wasn't what audiences were looking for in 1989, and it may not be first of choice now 20 years later. Nothing really stood out in the film, but it is worth a watch if you find yourself longing for a silly film on all Hallow's Eve.