First Bite Movie Review - Blue Is The Coldest Color

First Bite shows what happens to someone minutes before he turns into a cannibalistic monster, a zombie. Lots of puking ahead.

For a short titled First Bite, Vincenzo Nappi's film opens with the sound of flush and an overhead shot of blood inside the restroom. Within seconds a head pops in the frame to puke uncontrollably, piling on the mess shown before. There goes my appetite. This sick someone is Alex (Catherine Saindon), donning a spoiled eye-liner with blood vomiting out of her mouth and sticking on her chin. Her concerned friend, Olivia (Hana Kashaf), knocks in to check up on her situation. To which, an unwell Alex responds with "fuck off! I'm fine." Jeez, Alex! She just wanted to help!

At one point, the subtitles in my screener flashed, "zombie snarls fade in/music becomes muffled." And so when I saw bite marks on Alex's hand, I understood her plight. Coming to the music, she is at a metal concert and is now inside the bathroom due to the unabated puking condition. It's only a matter of time until she transforms into a zombie. Someone is definitely going to become her first prey making that victim Alex's ... first bite.

The change in Alex's behavior, nature, or whatever - from civilized to uncivilized - can be inferred from the various camera angles. First Bite begins from the top (overhead shot) and gradually descends to the bottom (low angle shot, seen after zombie snarls stop). But more interesting is the use of sound in First Bite. Vincenzo Nappi abandons grotty visuals of puking in favor of sound. You don't see the grisly graphics, but the mind imagines nauseating imagery. Even the concert itself is never shown as music is allowed to play in the background in the same way and frequency resembling a live show. This is some good budget filmmaking on display.

First Bite was selected for many notable film festivals, including Fantasia International Film Festival and Flamingo Film Festival - where it was honored with Best Special Effects. I went through the director's statement, and I quote (as found in the description of my screener): "First Bite is a film about accepting the love that is being given to you, and not letting past experiences rob you of happiness." Alex resists her latest affection for human meat by repressing it and eating food meant for normal beings.

Naturally, it doesn't fit well with her stomach making her throw up. Once she accepts her reality, a satisfying expression lightens up her face as she munches on flesh. As the director said, accepting the love given to you (here, becoming a zombie) and not letting past experiences (human food, behavior) rob you of happiness. Agree with the statement or not, it is fascinating to know a director's thought, his idea behind shooting a particular film. What before looked merely six minutes of moments captured of someone processing into a man-eater takes on a different meaning altogether. Who knew a zombie film could be packaged as a coming-of-age story?

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