The 32nd annual Philadelphia Film Festival runs October 19-29, 2023 and features over 80 feature films (and numerous shorts!) from over 25 countries. Most films play twice and our own Justin Nordell will be sharing “Philly Film Fest Fast Reviews” to give you a taste of the festival so you can pick and choose which films to make for the second screenings!
Closing out the Philadelphia Film Festival on its final night is a film that I genuinely haven’t been able to get out of my head. This is a documentary that feels so real that I had to sneak a look at my phone mid screening (yes I know IM SORRY!) to make sure that it was actually a documentary. Caterpillar is a horrifying and heartening film that plays out like a film missing from the filmography of Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project), and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
David is a gay man living in a rundown apartment in Florida pushing his late forties. He feels as if life has passed him by and he has struggled with confidence issues most of his life. A good looking guy (according to his mother), he just simply struggles to see in the mirror what so many others see when they look at him. One of the biggest factors affecting his self image is his eyes. David has deep brown eyes that many would admire, but he so desperately wants the light eyes that society tells us are favorable. He finds a company called BrightOcular online that will surgically change the colors of your eyes, but he unfortunately cannot afford this pricey procedure that needs to take place in India to get around that pesky American FDA. Writing the company an impassioned letter about how a change in eye color will forever alter his life for the better, David is surprised to learn he’s been selected to receive a complimentary eye surgery and is flown to India to meet other surgical candidates from around the world and receive the eyes of his dreams.
Spoiler alert: things don’t go according to plan.
A horror story of ignoring red flags, Caterpillar is more than just a cautionary tale of ACCEPTING FREE SURGERIES FROM PEOPLE ONLINE YOU’VE NEVER MET OR SPOKEN TO, but even moreso about what gets a person to the place of wanting to alter their body and at what cost. David’s fellow surgical candidates are also compelling, but it’s his relationship with his mother and with himself that ultimately become the heart of the movie. Stunningly shot with extreme closeups of eye surgery that would make even the most ardent horror fan squirm, Caterpillar is the most uncomfortable I’ve been in a film in a long time.
And did I mention… it’s a documentary!? The final screening includes a live Q&A with the Director and David himself so don’t miss out!
Grade: B+
Catch it at PFF23: Sunday, October 29th at 7:00pm at the PFS East.
Tickets Available Here: https://prod5.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/ticketsearchcriteria.aspx?evtinfo=340837~6728ed3e-dade-4087-9fc1-a95f5c0f83a1&
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