English comedian, presenter, screenwriter , director and actor, Simon Anstell has just released Carnage, a “vegan mockumentary”. Set in the year 2067, when veganism is the norm, the film looks back on meat-eating today, thus offering a unique retrospective view on what is currently considered normal.
Personally I would describe it as the Spinal Tap of ethical eating, a bizarre and unlikely combination I know, but required viewing nonetheless with just as much comic genius as the infamous "rockumentary"!
Here’s a couple of reviews of the film, the first from The Independent and the second from The New Statesman:
Carnage, review: Simon Amstell has made the world's first vegan comedy that's actually funny
“I have written and directed a film about veganism. I’m sorry.” This isn’t what you might expect Simon Amstell to say about his first feature-length film. Released on BBC iPlayer on 19 March, Carnage: Swallowing the Past is a mockumentary set in a future Britain, where meat, eggs and dairy are outlawed. In this brave new age world, animals roam free, and there is no such thing as veganism, only “carnism”.
Amstell apologising for Carnage may be surprising given he is vegan, wrote and directed the film, and originally conceived of it as a manifesto. But if this proves anything, it’s that the vegan cause needs more self aware people like him. Carnage is an almost perfect example of how to push a worthwhile message without being preachy. And in what must be a world-first for vegan activism, it even takes the piss out of vegans…..(full article here)
Simon Amstell’s mockumentary Carnage makes veganism funny – and the obvious ethical choice
In Amstell’s utopian 2067, the illegal practice of eating “other animals” is called “carnism”: a barbaric and incomprehensible symptom of an uncivilised society.
“Who wants to sit and watch an entire film about veganism?” These are the words of fictional activist Troye King Jones (John Macmillian) in Simon Amstell’s utopian mockumentary Carnage, an entire film about veganism now available on BBC iPlayer. It’s a sly wink to the audience, but also demonstrates Amstell’s goal in miniature – King Jones is reflecting on how his overly serious and moralising approach to vegan activism in his youth was misguided. It was only when veganism became fun, he explains, in the mid-2020s, that people started to listen.
Making veganism seem fun is no easy feat – the very word conjures ideas about restriction, denial, piousness and superiority. But Carnage has a dry, wicked sense of humour that’s contagious…..(full article here)Enjoy!!!