[Film Review] #MeowToo (2021)

If curiosity killed the cat, there’s no telling what animosity will do to a rapist. Director Ryan Kruger returns to his roots with his 2021 short film #MeowToo. The high-energy, high-tension short explores the underbelly of an alternate universe where anthropomorphic creatures coexist with humans.

When Meow, a hypersexualized sphinx cat, meets a sleazy film producer who intends to assault her, an unexpected game of cat-and-mouse ensues. #MeowToo follows the pair after a drunken encounter at a bar leads to an invitation back to his apartment, but when stereotypical sleazebag Alan tries to drug Meow, things take an unexpectedly sinister turn. 

Kruger is known for his high-energy, neon-drenched editing style, which is used throughout his shorts and feature-length film. His typical stylization uses intentional camera and editing techniques to convey a sense of adrenaline and anxiety. He utilizes dutch angles and handheld cameras to put the audience directly inside the action, which is only intensified when accompanied by the intensity of flashing red and green neon lights. 

#MeowToo is visually compelling, but the prosthetics and costume design steal the show. Whether it’s a mask or heavy prosthetic makeup, costume flaws are nearly unidentifiable. Meow’s sphinx design coupled with the heavily contrasted lighting gives an eerie realism to her costume. Most depictions of anthropomorphic animals living in harmony with humans occur in animated mediums like Bojack Horseman or Adventure Time. The reality of realistic anthropomorphic animals is far more visually jarring than any cartoon may depict.  

While the short’s visuals are a highlight of Kruger’s cinematography skills, the story falls short of adding much substance to the #MeToo movement of which it took titular inspiration. The online movement began as a social media campaign to publicize allegations and perpetrators of sex crimes in Hollywood.There are obvious connections between Alan and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, both of which are film producers, but that’s where the connections to the movement seem to end.

Rape-and-revenge films certainly have a place at the table when discussing cultural responses to sexual assault, but unlike cult favorites like I Spit On Your Grave or Ms. 45, the framing of Meow’s violent response doesn’t evoke the feeling of empowerment. Instead, there’s a strange disconnection in the writing during the climax of the short. It’s implied that when Alan dons catnip in an attempt to seduce and drug Meow, it sends her into a violent, blackout state. Rather than return the power to Meow, which is usually the intention of rape-and-revenge films, Kruger frames Alan’s death as though it were an accident. This is only furthered in the final scene where Meow curiously paws at his lifeless body. Alan’s death lacking any actual intent or redemption offers nothing to the actual nature of his character.

While the opportunity to rid the world of another sexual predator might seem like a compelling plot for modern audiences, it’s a difficult subject to broach without the proper storyline. #MeowToo might be visually compelling, but lacks the character depth needed to push it into the same league as so many successful rape-and-revenge stories that came before it. Trauma porn and sexually explotative cinema was a popular, widely-employed horror trope a few decades ago, but unthoughtful inclusions of sexual violence don’t have a place in 2021. 

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