Trigger Warning: The following review alludes to sexual abuse.
Our society’s young adult culture heavily revolves around sex. Many relationships are haunted by the question of “When are we going to sleep together?” But is sex really as great for everyone? Does the pressure to lose your virginity at a young age have any negative repercussions, particularly for those with sex-related trauma?
This is the idea behind the NSFW age-restricted short, “Boy Gets Eaten” by Sebastian Lagerkvist, now streaming on Alter’s YouTube channel, and you can also watch it at the end of this article. It might inspire you to submit to the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.
The Plot
Anders is twenty years old, and has still never been with a woman. In fact, he appears to be pretty uncomfortable about the idea of being with a woman. Until finally, his friends pressure him to lose his virginity with a girl they just met at a party. After the deed is done, a demon emerges from his basement, and some past trauma comes back to the surface.
There’s Nothing Like the First Time
The main character’s trauma is shown very well even before the demon shows up. Actor Arthur Hakalahti shows genuine discomfort around any mention of sexual pleasure, and even when he’s losing his virginity he doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself at all. Even the opening scene of him trying to masturbate carries tension to it. Though it’s left ambiguous what happened to him to make him like this, the point is made perfectly clear.
And the atmosphere is appropriately creepy through the use of muted colors and heavy shadows. The demon is also very menacing through it’s movement and the creaky sound design. The scene where we see her most clearly is an attack that looks like an uncomfortable simulation of sex, and the symbolic relevance only adds to how disturbing it is.
But this doesn’t exploit the topic of sexual assault as a horror device. This is purely just a film about trauma, that uses sexual assault as a backdrop, and that backdrop is handled in a tasteful manner.
In Conclusion
“Boy Gets Eaten” is a disturbing short about a disturbing topic. It isn’t always an easy watch, but it is one that might just stick with you.
Watch it below.
CONTENT WARNING: This film contains depictions of rape and sexual assault that may be sensitive for some viewers.
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