Crave is the feature debut of Charles de Lauzirika, a man best (un)known for directing/producing DVD special features. So what, you say? Sew buttons on a dead hobo's suit! You know you love yourself some special features, and Charles is responsible for some quality content on many a quality disc. Hell, his Alien 3 featurettes might be better than the film itself.
But does this qualify him to tell a more complex story? The story being that of a crime scene shutterbug named Aiden who becomes increasingly more detached from reality? A tragi-comic character study full of pitch black humor? An unlikely romance with moments of extreme discomfort? A story full of emotion and nuance and gray morality? Because that's the delicate balancing act this first-timer has attempted here.
Crave won the New Flesh Award for Best First Feature at the 2012 Fantasia Film Festival, so somebody thinks he's pulled it off. Personally, I disagree. And while I don't think Crave is a bad film, I don't think it is a particularly good one, either. ...
Read the rest of the review here, originally published during Fantastic Fest in September 2012. The film is now streaming on Shudder.