The Hungry Lion (2017)

I honestly expected absolutely nothing from this and because of that it blew me away. I completely forgot I was even watching a movie I was so engrossed and I believe it's because there are no frills and shines because of it's simplicity.
The story is as real as it can possibly get. We see movies and/ or dramas where rumors and lies can hurt people and truly impact them but who can say they've never experienced it nor been victim of it? Yet we still do it because the consequences from it is forgotten after time.
The cast is unknown to me but they did a bang up job. The girls when they were just hanging out in the bathroom fixing their makeup played out so naturally that I'm assuming they must be friends irl, the dialogue just seemed ad-libbed at times.
This movie unfortunately has a low score but if you are thinking about whether to watch this or not, please do. The subject matter will have you feeling a plethora of emotions.

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THE FILM THAT SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY VIEWING FOR ALL

The title is pretty apt because a hungry lion is a predator that sees nothing but food. He sets his eyes on the meat, and will stoop to all means to grab it, even violence, and feel satisfied after eating it. And that's what the FL fell prey to. The hungry lion.
The poster is also pretty genius with the way her eyes are blurred, making it appear like institutions are trying to protect the identity of this teenager, when in reality her name and information is made public for all to see. That's why they say actions speak louder than words.

Now on to the movie -

A brutal, thought-provoking, disturbing hard-hitting and painfully real depiction of everything that is wrong with society;

(1) The way people engage in small talk & spread rumours about others without regard, and ruin another's life - regardless of whether she was the woman in the video or not, she didn't deserve to be filmed. People should have been kinder and shown her so much more love instead of spreading the rumours further and isolating her, that too when she constantly denied being the person in the video.

(2) The inhumanity with which society bullies and isolates others - right up to after her death, people talked about her as a slut or a bitch like they've never had sex themselves. Did they think even once about how they would feel if someone did the same to them? She stopped going to school, random men were approaching her outside school; why did people not protect her instead of furthering the narrative that she's easy. ALL JUST TO SUIT THEIR OWN STORY.

(3) The way family and social institutions fail to protect victims and try to make news out of them,
The dean isolated her and asked her to quit school and after her death says bull like please speak to adults because they will protect you. Her sister slut-shamed her instead of giving her a hug, but after her death we don't hear her voice at all. That might be her way of detaching, but that also points to her cowardice. Same for her mum who questioned her daughter if she was the one in the video, but didn't shut the journalists up after her death. Not only that, she brought home a man who pointed out her daughter's low skirt instead of being sensitive to the fact that they're all women in the house. The teachers constantly saw the way she was being bullied but didn't say a single word. They should have asked the kids to shut up, and given them a lecture on being sensitive. The way news outlets continued to publish news on her, making it look like they were looking for the truth, when in reality they were just en-cashing on her death. Nobody truly wanted to know the truth. Nobody wanted to understand what she went through. She went from being a slut, to a hero, to a victim because the narrative changed as it suited the news outlets.

(4) The patriarchal & predatory mindset with which people view women who have sex as 'easy' and think they can just have her without her consent - The audacity to ask her how far she went with Hiroko, and then rape her even when she refused. And then to throw her panties out of the van in a light-hearted manner saying they had fun, while she is standing there, sapped out of energy. The way strangers came looking for her after school thinking they'd have a go to satisfy their kink. Go to a prostitute. Why bother the school girl? Disgusting.

(5) The incorrect messages we send out - men who have sex with tons of women rejoice over "I did her" while the woman in the same situation is slut-shamed. Men are encouraged to have fun, while women are taught to be cautious, and maintain a clean, virginal image.

(6) Suicide - this film presents this issue freaking brilliantly. Her suicide is first met with opinions of 'the bitch / slut killed herself", then she is made into a victim who was kind and wrongly accused, and then she is made into a hero. While the girl who came in support from Fukouka seemed like the only sane and humane person, her act of putting the FL on a pedestal and calling her a hero highlights the problem of society. People are led to believe that killing themselves is the only way out, the only way they would be heard, and given a voice. And after a few weeks, people move on like the incident never happened, just like her family moved out of the house [leaving behind empty walls and rooms] to a new place probably looking for a new start.

Every damn thing about this film (its an endless list) was powerful and triggering. It made me mad and sick to my stomach. I ugly cried. I just don't have the words really because this has left me feeling empty.

And to think, this happens every day in some corner of the world. Films like this make you realize how the world can be a flower bed for some, and thorns for another. We talk about finding sufficiency and self-love in our own self, but is it really possible when no one is on your side, and everyone is only trying to push you over the edge? I honestly doubt that she wanted to kill herself. I think she tripped. But does it matter? Because the way things were going, she would have killed herself eventually. No one, literally no one was on her side. How could people be so inhuman?! But people are, and this film presented just that.

The film's brilliance also lies in the fact that we never get a clear cut answer as to whether she was the girl in the video or not. Because it would be easy to term her a victim if she wasn't. But I love that the film makes it clear that the answer doesn't matter. She is a victim nonetheless. Another bold move is the fact that she is not a virgin or a shy girl. She is outgoing, she does have sexual relationships with men, and she is beautiful. Regardless of that, she did not deserve to be slut-shamed and is a victim.

Even though there are many take-aways from this film, the biggest lesson I have learnt is to ' live and let live'. Focus on your own life and growth rather than spending time spewing hate on another.

On to the technical aspects - the way it was filmed may make it look like a low budget film but that's what made this even more powerful. Every scene and frame looked so real, like you were viewing the world from the character's perspective rather than watching a film. The documentary-like filming style also worked perfectly in creating this disgust you feel towards each and every person in her life. It was too real.

The acting - for a heavy-duty film like this, its interesting that there was hardly a scene of the FL crying or any rage expressed. But you could see the way she slowly withdrew and became lifeless.

The story and script - Freaking A1 from the start to the end. Not a single filler scene. Every scene tells you something, and leaves you thinking.

It's a flawless short film and I highly highly recommend this for all, even though it is not an easy watch and will trigger even the hardest of hearts. I just had to write a review because that is how much I just want everyone to see it.

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