Even in the film’s title, Spanish director Manuel Martín Cuenca’s new movie Cannibal pulls no punches, taking you into the private life of a meek yet monstrous killer.

By day, Carlos (Antonio de la Torre) is a quiet, unassuming tailor in Grenada, a southern Spanish town as equally reserved as he. At night, Carlos packs his freezer with the pieces of his latest kills. But when beautiful Nina (Olimpia Milente) comes looking for her missing twin sister, Carlos finds himself suddenly conflicted: will Nina be his next meal, or has he actually found love?

Equal parts gripping, unsettling, and darkly funny, Cannibal is a bold movie that doesn’t shy away from its macabre subject matter. Shot with the same emotional indifference that Carlos himself feels, the film forces you to walk a line between curiosity and outright horror. And while de la Torre’s Carlos is surprisingly likeable, it’s Milente’s breathtaking turns as both gentle Nina and her free-spirited twin sister Alexandra that truly steal the screen.

See it on a full stomach.

CANNIBAL trailer from Film Factory Entertainment S.L on Vimeo.

Nimy Leshinski

Shown at this year’s TIFF13 : Toronto International Film Festival.