Writer-director Elizabeth Cairns’ Inedia follows Cora (Amy Forsyth), a hairstylist with extreme food allergies. When visiting her sister, Madeleine (Rachel Drance), and her husband, Alex (Eric Gustafsson), Cora has a severe reaction after eating a salad dish with eggs. Cora’s allergic reactions affect her daily routine as she gets severe eczema. During a sleepless night, she discovers a health specialist, Joana (Susanne Wuest), speaking about ways to cure chronic food issues through sun nourishment. Cora leaves her everyday life and takes a ferry boat to Joana’s island, where she is welcomed into a world with strict rules: no medications or phones are allowed.
On her first night, December (Hilda Martin), who’s pregnant with her first child, brings Cora’s last meal, a fruit plate. The following day, while meeting the rest of the patients, she encounters a startling incident. One of the patients, Dafne (Chelsea Brown), is searching for her baby boy. It turns out the orphaned Merri (Nova Brown) buried the baby, believing it would grow like a plant. This is a dire warning about Joana’s strange philosophy affecting the community’s behavior. It takes time for Cora to adapt to this strange way of life. She has repetitive nightmares of all the savory food from the ferry trip and even develops a craving for eggs. As this occurs, Cora engages in group activities, like building a playground out of mud and selling fruit from Joana’s orchards.
“…takes a ferry boat to Joana’s island, where she is welcomed into a world with strict rules: no medications or phones are allowed.”
Inedia takes the folk horror genre and grounds it by leaning into the subject matter of food allergies and unorthodox health resolutions. Food allergies are visually symbolized through the use of rotting fruit. The recurring imagery of the sun plays into the hippie motif. These concepts add to the mystery of Joana’s island. However, they feel disconnected from the story and do not answer the lore of the sun’s supernatural power. The filmmaker’s ideas lend themselves to the greater conversation about processed foods and solving chronic health issues.
Lisa Pham’s slow editing and Jeremy Cox’s naturalistic cinematography help us feel Cora’s alienation and uncertainty in this unusual environment. These cinematic elements make Susanne Wuest’s performance as Joana more eerie and ethereal. The character is an interesting antagonist, as her calm demeanor hides her selfish and corrupt intentions.
Inedia works as an intriguing psychological horror drama. The film’s eerie atmosphere, even if the visual motifs don’t always tie in well, captivates the audience. The mystery surrounding this strange cult intrigues all watching.
"…an intriguing psychological horror drama."
