The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) is thrilled to unveil EAT THE RICH, a retrospective focused on how elites are portrayed in genre cinema. Scheduled for the festival’s 23rd edition from July 5-13, this unique series offers a varied and in-depth look at a century of fantastic cinema. It aims to trace the complex, intersectional evolution of this theme through about twenty feature films. The program will also include a roundtable discussion.
INJUSTICES, PRIVILEGES, AND DECADENCE
“When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich” attributed to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, epitomizes the working classes’ resentment towards the social, political, and intellectual elites. Its relevance resonates strongly today, gaining an even more subversive edge in genre cinema. In a world where exploitation is rampant and the distribution of natural and economic resources increasingly inequitable, the growing divide between classes intensifies the urge to portray these disparities. This has inspired a variety of narrative styles and aesthetic approaches.
Like our previous retrospectives, SCREAM QUEER and FEMALE TROUBLE, EAT THE RICH highlights systemic oppression and injustice, probing the political and social dynamics involved, and the fantasies they spawn. Genre films, always reflective of their era, address contemporary societal issues directly and with a wide range of representations—from the overtly literal to the deeply metaphorical.
In EL ÁNGEL EXTERMINADOR (1962), Luis Buñuel pushes the bourgeoisie’s polite facade to the edge, creating a feverish and claustrophobic film that explores what remains when social norms evaporate. Brian Yuzna adopts a similarly critical, yet more pop-influenced approach in SOCIETY (1989), gleefully exposing the corruption and secret depravity of affluent, materialistic North American society. Mamoru Oshii’s GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995) presents a complete dystopia where power is critiqued under a totalitarian regime amidst humans and cyborgs. In George A. Romero’s LAND OF THE DEAD (2005), the rich are literally consumed by starving zombies, symbolizing the marginalized of a declining North America. SNOWPIERCER (2013), directed by Bong Joon-ho, visually represents the protagonist’s harsh social climb through his journey on an unstoppable train. Finally, Jenna Cato Bass’s GOOD MADAM (2021) connects the personal with the political, highlighting that domestic exploitation is closely linked to racial exploitation.
EL ÁNGEL EXTERMINADOR
Luis Buñuel, MX, 1962
In this intense and subversive psychological thriller, a group of affluent guests and their servants find themselves confined to a dining room, where they gradually succumb to their darkest impulses.
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SOCIETY
Brian Yuzna, US/JP, 1989
In the posh neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Bill uncovers the nightmarish secrets of his adoptive family, entangled in a world filled with manipulation, crime, and orgies.
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GHOST IN THE SHELL
Mamoru Oshiii, JP, 1995
In a future where humans and machines have merged, a cyborg confronts the established authority of the technological elite.
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LAND OF THE DEAD
George A. Romero, US/CA/FR, 2005
In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, the wealthy have fortified themselves in a heavily secured neighborhood. However, their safety is short-lived. In this fourth installment of the cult series, the living dead are hungrier than ever and closing in.
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SNOWPIERCER
Bong Joon-ho, KR/CZ, 2013
Aboard a ceaselessly moving train traversing a post-apocalyptic landscape, survivors of a climate catastrophe struggle against a ruthless class hierarchy.
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Still : © Collection Cinémathèque suisse. All rights reserved.
GOOD MADAM
Jenna Cato Bass, ZA, 2021
Tsidi and her daughter settle into a Cape Town home with a closet full of elite skeletons. Dark secrets and elite scandals soon come tumbling out.
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VENDREDIS DE LA PEUR AT THE CINÉMATHÈQUE SUISSE
Join us for a dose of dread at the VENDREDIS DE LA PEUR events, where NIFFF teams up with Cinémathèque suisse for a frightfully good time with two special screenings. Kick off the chills on April 26 with THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin, 1973, Director’s cut), a tribute to William Friedkin who passed last year.
Then, whet your appetite for the EAT THE RICH program on May 31 with THE WICKER MAN (Robin Hardy, 1973). Dive into this British folk horror gem that spins the retrospective’s theme with a twist of cruel pagan rites.
