After watching Xander Robin’s debut feature, viewers will probably know more about trichophagia—a medical condition involving the obsessive eating of one’s own hair—than they ever wanted to. Eli (Michael Patrick Nicholson), a pitiful fellow who has just been dumped by his girlfriend and fired from his job on a garbage truck, learns that his parents are selling their house and moving to Arizona. Before departing, his father gives Eli an old truck, which the latter then lives in and drives as a source of income. Following a hauling trip he meets Anya (Chelsea Lopez), who rips out her hair and eats it (and nothing else). Eli is attracted to Anya despite her odd habit—an unhealthy one, since hair cannot be coughed up (as cats do) or digested. Inevitably a medical crisis occurs, in which Eli must take drastic action (presented in a graphic manner that many will find hard to watch). Despite the oddity of their relationship, the tale of Eli and Anya has a strangely sweet undertone, and while the visuals related to Anya’s physical condition are often unsettling, Are We Not Cats is a curiously touching—albeit decidedly unconventional—love story. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Are We Not Cats
MVD Visual, 78 min., not rated, DVD: $14.99 Volume 33, Issue 4
Are We Not Cats
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