🎬 Excess Flesh

The narrative unspools within the suffocating, increasingly claustrophobic confines of a modern apartment in Los Angeles, tracking the toxic relationship between two vastly different roommates. Jill (Bethany Orr) is a frumpy, socially isolated, and deeply insecure girl next door who struggles heavily with her body image, frequently trapping herself in cycles of binging and purging. In stark contrast, her roommate Jennifer (Mary Loveless) is an aggressively thin, highly promiscuous, and cruel supermodel rising through the superficial ranks of the LA fashion scene. Jennifer routinely mocks Jill's physical appearance, habits, and profound lack of romantic success.

As the constant psychological humiliation piles up, Jill’s internal envy transitions into a manic, unhinged rage. Desperate to either become Jennifer or utterly erase her, Jill violently snaps. She chains Jennifer to the living room wall, trapping her inside the apartment. What follows is a grotesque, disturbing psychological war where Jill systematically punishes, taunts, and forces food upon her captive roommate while the physical cleanliness of the apartment deteriorates into a literal, fly-ridden nightmare. As neighbors and peripheral characters knock on the door, Jill sinks further into schizophrenia. The narrative careens toward a bloody, shocking climax that pulls back the curtain on Jill's psychological isolation, revealing that the entire external war may be a horrifying manifestation of her own self-loathing.

💡 Production & Cultural Context 🧠
A "Gross-Out" Satire of LA Culture: Director Patrick Kennelly intentionally structured the film as a highly stylized, grotesque satire aimed directly at the unrealistic beauty standards, toxic diet culture, and superficial pressures enforced by Hollywood. The project weaponizes food—treating it as both a weapon and an object of terror—to physically manifest eating disorders and body dysmorphia on screen

A Collaboration Born from Theatre: The film's unique, highly theatrical script was co-written by Patrick Kennelly and acclaimed playwright Sigrid Gilmer. This partnership heavily influenced the film's claustrophobic layout, relying almost entirely on a single-location setting and massive, dialogue-heavy psychological duals between the two lead performers.

The Sound of Madness: A critical component of the movie's disorienting atmosphere is its pounding, experimental noise soundtrack scored by Jonathan Snipes—one half of the acclaimed industrial hip-hop group clipping. (alongside Daveed Diggs). The music utilizes aggressive synths, chewing sounds, and industrial bass to induce anxiety in the viewer.

💡 Did you know?
The Disgust Factor: The production design team used an incredible volume of real, messy food items—ranging from massive quantities of cold macaroni and cheese to industrial buckets of synthetic whipped cream—to create the visceral, sticky, and disturbing eating sequences. The actors spent multiple shooting days covered in real, spoiling food residue to maintain the continuity of the flat's filthy environment

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