The term “dark humor” has unfortunately largely become synonymous with insufferable edgelords and those who use the phrase as a guise for insisting on being contrarian within the social zeitgeist. And this type of edgy humor is surely displayed in Fabrice Eboué’s Some Like It Rare. Actor, director and comedian Eboué injects his latest film with a taste of his own biting perspective on the state of food ethics in his horror-comedy about a pair of butchers who partake in a cannibalistic hunting spree.
Vincent (Eboué) and Sophie Pascal (Marina Foïs) are a couple whose relationship has dulled over time and whose business, a local butchery, has seen better days. They happen upon an impractical and deranged financial miracle when Vincent runs over a vegan activist who’d previously vandalized their store, killing him and accidentally selling his butchered meat to their customers. The film attempts to engage in discourse pertaining to both veganism and carnism, while also being a lighthearted black comedy.
Some Like It Rare, or its original French title Barbacue, is mostly captivating due to the performances by Eboué and Foïs. The character dynamics of a wife and husband in a passionless marriage turned cannibalistic Bonnie and Clyde make for a unique shift between the two. Sophie – using her knowledge of true crime – acts as the puppeteer of her husband who goes hunting for their victims. With just a change in her tone, or a suggestive glance, Sophie is able to convey nonverbally to Vincent when and where he is to kill. It’s fun to watch two normal people give in to their most primal urges whether that be culinarily or sexually, and this film’s lead actors are able to prove it. There are even a few instances where the Pascals mirror animals in wildlife documentaries, which feels fitting considering their animalistic method of stalking their vegan prey.
The primal release between Sophie and Vincent is far more interesting than any form of social commentary this film tries to make. Though the film does provide some honest questions about ethical food consumption, it isn’t meant to be taken seriously. One thing the film surely condemns is extremism on either side of the political food spectrum. Sophie and Vincent are both protagonists and antagonists depending on how they act in relativity to other characters. Their rich conservative friends, the Brachards (Jean-François Cayrey and Virginie Hocq), are at one end of this spectrum, while their local vegan community is at the other. Both become at odds with the Pascals and become victims of their newfound cannibal wrath.
Some Like It Rare shines the brightest as a cannibal slasher with a twisted power dynamic between two spouses. The social commentary it attempts falls flat and doesn’t seem to elevate the storyline as much as it wants to. Eboué and co-star Foïs provide some animalistic chemistry and comedic timing, but the film feels lost as to who and what is its true antagonist. This film will surely be popular with people who unironically use the word “snowflake.”
Photo courtesy of Brainstorm Media
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