-Written by Kyle Bain.
Wendy (Jessica Ruth Bell) has a Meat Cleaver! in her head–and yet, she doesn’t remember how it got there. There’s more to her story, a lot more. Meat Cleaver! explores life after death, and the existential crises that exist during our time on earth.
Meat Cleaver! is a brilliant concept, and, honestly, it’s brilliantly executed. The film opens to what feels like the most absurd setting, a red-headed woman sitting before another, stoic woman, dressed in black in white. The red-headed woman stands out, brightly colored, with a cleaver in her head. What makes the situation even more peculiar is the fact that she seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that the cleaver is there. What a bizarre concept, a bizarre situation to which the film opens–but there’s something brilliant there, something incredible beneath the surface.
At first I don’t believe that it’s abundantly clear that the film takes place in Heaven, that we’ve left the earth with Wendy–but I believe that’s intentional. Before I realized where the film takes place, my mind ran wild, coming up with ideas about what Meat Cleaver! was meant to represent. The first few minutes of the film are absolutely the best, and I think each and every person that gives this film a chance will walk away with a lesson learned.
The use of bold colors brings Meat Cleaver! to life with vibrancy, and that extends throughout the entirety of the film. It’s these things that immediately made me fall in love with the film–with the idea that there is something bigger present than just an after death interview with God. Later on those vibrant colors are juxtaposed by dark, drab tones that represent something wholly different, yet interestingly connected.
The overexaggerated acting is something that can tend to bog down a film if not used properly. I think sometimes writers and directors hope to create something campy and stylistically different by having their actors overdo it to a degree. Then you find those films in which exaggerated acting is one of the keys to their success–and Meat Cleaver! is a perfect example of that. The overacting, particularly by Bell, works in favor of the film, allowing it to thrive, becoming even more entertaining.
I think that Meat Cleaver! is a wonderful concept, a truly original concept, with a brilliantly unique execution. From start to finish I felt pulled through a compelling story that was unlike anything else I can remember seeing, and that originality is incredibly difficult to find nowadays. I’m not entirely sure what I expected to get out of Meat Cleaver!, but I got something wonderful.
Written & Directed by Jared Asher Harris.
Starring Jessica Ruth Bell, Socorro Jones, Rob More, & David Fyne.
9/10 = DROP EVERYTHING AND WATCH IT NOW
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