Grimm Love

Before writing the review, i have to state that i already know of knew what i was getting my self into. Learned about this case ages ago, and ive seen like 2 years ago the movie Cannibal from 2006, so i already had knew what is coming up.

The movie could of been much better. Main issue is the sub plot of Katie. That whole subplot does not fit here. Instead of focusing on our main characters, Kati gets the most development, and her only purpose in the film is to watch this urban tape.

Second problem is that the movie is extremely confusing. The beginning, where we see our two prime characters growing up, it's really hard to follow. You get mixed up who are we following, are following Oliver or are we following the victim, or The Flesh.

I am shocked how tame this was compared to the Marian Dora's film, which is in every way effect wise superior over this movie. If you want to truly see how horrific this case is, i'd strongly advise the Marian Dora film.

I think if this movie did not have Katie's sub-plot, we'd have a more interesting watch. I think the whole purpose of Katie's role is that she gets so traumatized that she breaks the tape. That was the point that she breaks the tape. But if you are sensitive to human depravity, why study criminology? Why pick this case as your lead subject matter? Why is she obsessed with this case in the first place? Nothing is really explained there, she just seems completely forced into this movie.

Camera work is great, the acting seems okay, music is morbid hunting, the effects are tame as hell and when i heard about this movie, i thought it was going to be as graphic and hard core as Marian Dora's film was. But no, no where near Marian Dora's level.

This movie however was informative in some aspects, how both of the men lost their mothers, how both are lonely in a way, how both fantasized about this for years now.

I think i have to rewatch this movie mostly because of the first half.

Both this film and Marian Dora's "Cannibal" were inspired by the unbelievably inhuman yet real-life horror case of Armin "The Rohtenburg Cannibal" Meiwes. Meiwes was a lonely and introvert homosexual who placed an internet add, looking for volunteers to get slaughtered and consumed by him. It didn't take that long before he got a response from Bernd Jürgen Brandes, another homosexual who treasured a life-long dream of having his penis chopped off and eaten. Like the script states at several occasions: these two formed a perfect match. Even though both films remain faithful to the grueling and sickening facts, they are two completely different viewing experiences. This film is more like a 'light' version of the facts (but, mind you, still shocking enough to upset people with a weak stomach), whereas "Cannibal" is a downright brutal and uncompromising film. "Grimm Love" supposedly takes place after the facts and the story is re-enacted via the research and profiling of an American psychology student (Keri Russell) residing in Germany to work on her thesis. This wraparound story is actually rather redundant, since Russell only appears on screen in order to link together all the flashbacks that build up towards the two men's fatal cannibalistic meeting. Unlike "Cannibal", this film dedicates a large amount of time digging up the men's backgrounds and illustrating their personalities. The voluntary victim Bernd Jürgen Brandes (renamed Simon Grombeck) forcefully hated the reproduction organ between his legs and apparently blamed himself for his mother's suicide, because she once caught him and another boy playing doctor. Armin Meiwes (renamed Oliver Hartwin) had issues with his mother as well, but she was more of a dominant and overly protective type. He developed cannibalistic tendencies after she died and eventually the endless opportunities of the almighty internet brought these wandering souls together. I find it praiseworthy that both films, especially considering the gruesome themes, succeed in clarifying to the audiences that this is, in fact, primarily an (unusual) love story rather than a gratuitous exploitation flick. It's a portrait of two men who're social outcasts due to their unacceptable sexual desires. This was even clearer in "Cannibal", since the two men shared all the screen time together as from the opening sequence, but even "Grimm Love" successfully reflects the affectionate and deeper relationship between the two 'monsters'. However, this movie suffers from a handful of dreadfully tedious moments and it sadly remains too vague about the disturbing things that happened after the castration. Meiwes stored Brandes' corpse on a meat hook in his basement and continued to eat his pal for several more months after the actual killing. This film only briefly mentions this little detail somewhere at the beginning. The cinematography is pleasingly dark and depressing, and the slow pacing and grim set-pieces contribute to the building up of an overall uncanny atmosphere as well. Martin Weisz' direction is subtly creepy and he clearly doesn't aim for sensationalism here. The German actors are very competent as well, even though they are for some reason forced to speak their lines in hesitant English… My main complaint regarding this production, as stated by other reviewers already as well, is the international character of the film. Why the involvement of a fictionalized American student character working on a psychology thesis? Why narrate the story through flashbacks, for that matter? Russell's role is entirely redundant and her character isn't even plausible anyway. For someone who has been obsessed and fascinated with the case for more than 3 years, she really sucks at watching graphic cannibalism on tape.

I have to say that this film caught me by complete surprise. I expected it to be a typical "Hostel" kind of horror movie. But the opposite was the case. Rohtenburg is an incredible shot film that draws you into a personal story and guides you slowly into the darkness of a disturbed mind. Against all odds i was pleasantly surprised about this film. I do understand though that this film will raise a lot of controversy and have people not understand it or love or hate it. This film has no grey area, it is hate or love for sure, since it doesn't slumber through the mediocre horror genre formulas and has very little blood for the die hard horror fans. It works on a psychological level and goes way deeper than i expected, actually giving me sleep trouble for two nights.

This is a very different film. I don't think i have ever seen anything like it. I would recommend it.

I wanted to look away, I tried to walk away, and yet I found myself watching intently. The grisly story unfolds as Russells character investigates a serial killer for her thesis. The more she finds out the more she seems to want to know and the audience is brought along with her. I will not giveaway anything because it would ruin it for anyone. Having never heard of the film I mostly watched it since it was endorsed by Fangoria Magazine and admittedly after watching its obvious why. There is no bright spot in this dark, chilling tale, somewhere halfway thinking how can I continue watching I don't want to know the truth was I did want to know, maybe this frightened me more than the tale itself. Towards the end I was the so engrossed I couldn't stop and had to finish it, and like characters final reaction so was mine.

Grimm Love recreates the lives of the notorious cannibal who via the Internet found someone willing to be cannibalized. It is framed within a story of an American student in Germany writing her master's thesis on the topic from a psychological perspective.

Names have been changed for the movie, but we meet both characters in their childhood. Simon, the willing victim, was a tormented homosexual boy who is traumatized by the suicide of his mother, presumably because she caught him with another boy. He is now in an apparently fulfilling relationship with Felix but still consumed by guilt. The cannibal, Oliver, was never allowed to develop as a man because of his overbearing and controlling mother. As a child he meets another kid and they spy on butchers slaughtering pigs and gets into watching real death films. Cannibalism becomes his sexual fantasy and on message boards he solicits someone to become his meal. Some who are interested back off before he takes their lives. Until he meets Simon, who thinks he can find peace only once someone removes his piece.

Presumably everything we are told is true, in particular how events unfold when the two meet as the cannibal actually filmed their encounter. That tape is the only thing that gives importance to the story of the American student. Someone offers her a copy of the film and once she sees it, it's more than she asked for.

Grimm Love, a changed but effective title, making reference to the horrific "children" stories by the brothers Grimm with which all German children have been terrorized, is a very good movie. It is not pleasant to see though. There are a lot of homosexual scenes and some gruesome scenes at the end. But the movie humanizes the characters. It's not a movie that seeks to make cannibalism cool or that delights in gore or that wants to demonize the cannibal, even though the monster in him can't be eliminated. These two characters are tormented, traumatized, suffering souls, who never managed to overcome their childhood pain, in particular Simon. The tone of the movie is mild and slower. Oliver is calculative but gentle, if one can say that. The movie is mostly filmed in tones of yellow and brown and is rather dark looking. Direction and acting are excellent. This movie is smart and succeeds at giving you insight into the darkest of dark places of the human being and of life. A recurring question is, just how was it possible that these two people with such unique but matching preferences were able to meet. An astonishing event indeed.