EATING RAZORS: A LOVE STORY

EATING RAZORS: A LOVE STORY
By Ken Leicht

The title of this one says it all. There’s love and there is razor eating. And a shit-load of vodka drinking.

New England based musician turned filmmaker Ron DeCaro’s first effort is surprisingly effective. Ron himself stars as Trent, still nursing the open wound of his wife’s death with a never ending supply of intoxicants two years after the fact. Gradually his life starts coming undone. He loses his job and then finally reaches the edge.

On the night the film takes place, he calls a friend to get some extra money to help get fucked up with. A night of drunken-ness leads to madness climaxing with a razor blade feast. Trent awakens the next day on the floor with an empty bottle. Perhaps it was all a dream! But then, Trent takes the most painful dump in history.

Supposedly shot for $200, it looks like it cost at least $450. That said, it looks good enough save for some regrettable “look at me! I’m operating a camera” shot choices and some low budget video effects I could have done without. These sins are forgivable given the film’s super-low budget/first timer origins. Especially since the overall nightmare-like feel that progressively gets worse and worse is somehow made more real by the shot at home look.

The razor eating scene is not very powerful for me as a stand alone item. Though it was effective enough to make me wonder if it was real. After all, he is a hard rocker. Who knows what crazy shit he’ll do!

My favorite moment in the film is when his friend mysteriously and abruptly is gone from his apartment. Was he ever even there? That moment was simply astounding in its execution.

Not being a gore hound I don’t know if I’ll ever be really into DeCaro’s work long term but if he keeps up with the kind of material that falls between the grue, I’m going to keep an eye out for his future projects. If I still lived in New England, I’d definitely try out to be an extra in his next film. Finally, honorable mention for Gloucester Fisherman cameo out car window.

Visit them online at www.forthebetterofmankindproductions.com