Need for Meat – a funny multi-layered self-questioning film about eating meat. Review by Suzy Nelson-Pollard
Screening – Thursday the 21st of April, at 18:00. Tickets here
Director Marijn Frank is a journalist based in Amsterdam, and due to her work, she is no stranger to meat factories. She understands the ethical issues behind eating meat, as well as the environmental and health impacts, and she knows that the right choice for her is to become a vegetarian (and stay one). She believes this strongly enough that she doesn’t feed meat to her toddler daughter.
Yet… Marijn loves meat. She loves sausages, steaks, hamburgers, meatballs…she loves juicy meat so much that a neuro scan reveals that her brain is more reactive to images of meat than of sex. So Marijn goes on a mission to understand why she seems to have a need for meat and whether this is problematic. To do so, she trains for six weeks at a local slaughterhouse, with one ultimate aim: to slaughter a cow.
Photo above and below – courtesy Visions du Réel.
On her six-week journey, Marijn sees a psychotherapist to discuss the process, she learns about in-vitro meat, about industrial slaughterhouses as well as organic ones, she flirts with a chef who cooks fancy meat-based meals, and she questions and questions herself. When the dreaded day of killing the cow comes, Marijn is completely conflicted about her project and about her mission, and of course, about killing the cow. What follows is a surprising conclusion, a clarity for nuance and a charming film that is both funny, topical yet not patronizing. It is a refreshing watch which avoids black and white morality and sparks many interesting questions and debates for the spectator. Note: Some of the images are unsuitable for children.