American Cannibal: The Road to Reality Review
By David Kempler
One Man's Trash is Another Man's Reality
Reality TV, for the most part, is a falsely labeled genre. There is nothing real about it. People who know they are being filmed do not behave like they normally would. There are a few exceptions but not many. Of all the "reality" shows currently on the air, the only one that comes close to reality is "Cops" but it still falls short.
Many years ago (it was in black and white), I saw a program on PBS that followed patrolmen in Kansas City on their patrol of duty. I was absolutely mesmerized by it. It was perhaps my first brush with documentaries and it left an indelible mark on me. Ever since I have been fascinated by documentaries, even the not very well made ones.
When people talk to me about "Survivor" or "Dancing with the Stars" or whatever that Trump garbage is called I can only shake my head and wonder why people enjoy this stuff but it's clear that I am in the minority when it comes to evaluating these types of shows.
"American Cannibal" is an entertaining look at what passes for reality in film and television. The story centers on two frustrated writers, Dave Roberts and Gil Ripley. They can't seem to get anyone interested in their ideas so they attempt a foray into the world of reality television. They pitch a couple of ideas and finally get a bite on something they suggested. Oddly enough, they were only kidding but this does not stop Kevin Blatt, the Producer of the Paris Hilton sex tapes. He loves the idea of starving people on an island and then trying to convince the participants that the winner will have to eat human flesh.
Roberts and Ripley can't believe that Blatt is all for it and production begins. We get to watch people attempt to be chosen for the cast and this provides us with the funniest moments of the film. One of the prospective contestants is asked whether they would eat a human finger. They respond that it would be okay but only if it is not a thumb or big toe.
The contestants are picked and it's off to a small island off Puerto Rico. On the first day of shooting one of the contestants is seriously injured and she is helicoptered off the island. End of filming. End of production.
My only complaint with "American Cannibal" is that the last fifteen or twenty minutes is spent creating a mystery of what happened to the injured girl. We are never told how it turns out for her but we are led to believe that perhaps she is dead. It's cheap trickery and an ending not worthy of the film.
