The movie Feed narrates the life of 18-year-old twins Olivia (Troian Bellisario) and Matthew Grey (Tom Felton), who are born into a world of privilege and constantly face high expectations from their parents. The film explores their close bond and how Olivia’s life begins to unravel after her brother dies in a car accident.
Although the movie begins like a typical teenage drama and gradually builds moments of suspense, it carries a deeper message about Anorexia Nervosa—commonly known as an eating disorder—in which a person severely restricts their food intake due to a fear of gaining weight.
Feed portrays Olivia’s struggle, played by Bellisario (who also wrote the story based on her own experiences with anorexia), as she begins to see visions of her brother, who urges her not to eat.
In medical science, doctors often associate this illness with emotional or psychological issues, where individuals develop a compulsion to avoid eating. As Bellisario explained in an interview, with this illness, “you just hear something in your head that tells you not to eat.”
In the film, we see how Olivia struggles to cope with her personal loss and begins to believe that her brother is still present around her. Matthew, in her mind, begins to restrict her from living her life and, in a sense, takes control of her.
While this type of storytelling is primarily meant to convey a broader message, the film and its narrative are grounded in scientific facts. Anorexia can also result from other psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, loneliness, and more.
Nevertheless, Feed offers glimpses into the devastating effects of abnormal eating behaviors and how people struggle to break free from the compulsion not to eat.
Watch the movie trailer for Feed
Genre: Drama
Actors: Troian Bellisario, Tom Felton, Ben Winchell
Director: Tommy Bertelsen
Write: Troian Bellisario
Cast: Troian Bellisario, Tom Felton, Ben Winchell
Cinematography: Igor Kropotov
Release date: July 18, 2017
Where to watch Feed (2017)
