Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Film Review

Classy cannibal crime picture precision-crafted with heart, humour, and humanism.

Traumatised by war, the enigmatic Sion arrives in South Wales and is offered a job in the local gym by the kindly Katrina. When she is abused by the ring leader of some low-rent drug dealers Sion reacts by chopping one of the crew up and fucking eating him.

Naturally, this spooks the rural cocaine cowboys as they descend into a spiral of panic and paranoia. Turning on rival gangs, and each other, the carnage escalates as does Sion’s hunger for the taboo.

Also dragged into his grisly orbit are detectives Stanton and Patch who must overcome their contempt for each other to settle old rivalries and apprehend the cannibalistic chomper.

There is absolutely nothing platitudinal in the execution of Tony Burke’s relentlessly tight debut feature. Every component of its low-budget mechanism harmonises for exquisite tonal consistency and a rare creative purity. It took ten years for this project to blossom from its short film roots, time the filmmakers have spent wisely.

Beautifully ergonomic editing keeps the lively cinematography in check to ensure Protein is a visually addictive experience. Kinetic but never confusing, pragmatic but never ponderous this combination drives the plot with economy while leaving enough room for the characters to ripen.

Protein is also blessed with a superbly streamlined script. Agile and lean the interactions are relatable and the dialogue is slick and spicy. With many quotable one-liners – ‘No, It’s not, it’s a fuckin Yaris’- and plenty of sly nods to cultural touchstones as eclectic as The Big Bang Theory and Aliens. Think Howard Wolowitz’s mother through the realist prism of Alan Bennet and Private Hudson drop shipped into Dead Man’s Shoes respectively.

The police procedural aspects of many indie horror flicks are a cringe-worthy disaster. Often it’s a woefully underpowered sidebar or the element that forces the film to overstretch ambitions into painful parody. Even more often, it is a narrative minefield that creates fatal plot holes. Not so here, this film is accomplished enough to make it a pivotal focal point instead of a troublesome necessity.

The relationship between Stanton and Patch is gripping and excels as the emotionally resonant counterpoint to the gore and violence of Sion’s anthropophagic murder spree. They may bicker over misogyny – ‘Don’t call me love. It’s not the eighties.’ – and have clashing professional styles, but, they share a hatred of small-town gangster smugness. Both of them are bitter and broken by rejection and guilt.

When a perfectly feasible coincidence finally unites them their relationship enters a phase of remarkable catharsis that includes a touching scene of emotional show and tell. Brilliantly acted, written, and shot it redraws parameters and perspectives in the organic way only typical of expert storytelling.

Hitting the sweet spot between artistic endeavour and genre derangement isn’t easy. This highly entertaining film does it with style and savagery to spare.

By the time Protein reaches its clever conclusion, you will feel invested in its characters, surprised by unexpected developments, perturbed by its gruesome premise, and sad that it’s over.