Crave – Toronto After Dark 2012

Crave is a modern noir thriller about a crime scene photographer named Aiden (Josh Lawson), who is increasingly bothered by the rampant crime he witnesses on the streets of Detroit.  He regularly confides with his cop buddy Pete (Ron Perlman) and wonders aloud whether or not the world would be better place if the majority of the criminals were killed, rather than arrested.  In the meantime, Aiden begins a relationship with a girl in his building named Virginia (Emma Lung) and he finds that his cynical view of the world brightens when he is with her. It is hard for me to talk about Crave without fully revealing the film’s many twists and turns.  I can say that Aiden`s internal thoughts play a major role in the film.  His inner monologue is almost a character in itself and is often chastising Aiden for being a coward and encourages him to take a stand against the crime in the city.  In fact, you can easily compare this film to the TV show Dexter, with the inner monologue being representative of Aiden’s “Dark Passenger.” Essentially, the film is about the slow breakdown of Aiden’s psyche and his increased desire to take the law into his own hands.  The film is described as a mix between Taxi Driver and Fight Club, so that should give you a rough idea what the film is about without me having to revealing everything that happens.  I will say that, even though the film is crime thriller, it has an underlying dark humour to it that really added to my enjoyment of the film. Overall, I can definitely say that, even though it was only the third film I watched, Crave is definitely one of the highlights of this year’s Toronto After Dark selection and I would highly recommend giving it a watch. 9 | REALLY LIKED IT