Shortcuts in movies have been used since the invention of film. These would usually be used to fill in missing scenes or create something that was too expensive for the budget. Examples would be silent films using a text card to set the next scene or recent films using CGI to showcase something looking more fantastical than it would be practical.  When used effectively this can make your film look bigger and flashier than the budget or production skill would allow. If used incorrectly, however, it will create the feeling that the film was lazily put together and no passion was put into the project. The shortcuts that Stomach takes, unfortunately, makes everything from the creature design to the story feel uninspired, dated, and uninteresting.

Stomach tells the story of Alex, a young man who lives alone at a vineyard who is plagued with horrible nightmares and debilitating stomach pain. To make matters worse the two bullies at his work play a prank on him that gets Alex fired even after his female coworker, Anna, tries to defend him. That night during a vivid nightmare Alex’s stomach emerges from his body and begins to speak to him. It tells him that if he allows it to feed it can grant him anything he desires. What does the creature in Alex’s stomach hunger for and will there be anyone left in Alex’s life when it is done?

When I talk about shortcuts in Stomach I have to have to break them down into two categories, production shortcuts, and plot shortcuts, we’ll start with the former. Production shortcuts are the most common form in low budget films, which I get the feeling this one, the first hint being the use of stock footage. Stock footage if perfectly fine if used correctly but the filmmakers use it for sloppy scene transitions and it is clear it is stock footage because they are shot with a camera far better than the one used in the film. Next, and the more glaring budget cut, is the stomach monster which is a white humanoid creature with painting black veins covering its body. The design of the creature would be perfect for a movie with some subtlety, hidden in the darkness, but instead, it is shown full-frame, brightly lit, and techno music blasting with each attack, with just makes it all the more apparent how cheap the creature looks.

Unlike production shortcuts, that can be done in a clever way or at least look charming and humble even if they turn out bad, plot shortcuts come off reeking of a writer not confident in their work or one who has written themselves into a corner. Trigger warnings and spoilers for the film ahead, when it is apparent the creature plans on eating people the audience knows that the menu consists of Alex’s rude doctor and the two bullies at his work. Worrying that the bullies may have not become evil enough to deserve slaughter the writer chose to just have them rape Anna. If that wasn’t bad enough it looks like Anna may be saved by the creature from being assaulted by both men, but instead attacks another random character leaving Anna to be assaulted into a catatonic state. With the way the story was unfolding it would have been perfectly reasonable for the bullies to be eaten by the creature, so to add in all the unpleasantness just comes off as cheap and lazy shock value.

About 45 minutes into watching this hour and 10-minute film I had enough to of an understanding to write this review, but I watched it to the end because I am a professional and I wanted to give the movie a chance to change my mind. What I was rewarded with for my perseverance was multiple rape scenes and an ending that was almost as insulting as it was all a dream. This movie comes across a completely uninspired film that you would find in a movie bargain bin at a grocery store. If I need to end on a positive, the artist who did the poster filled me with the confidence to believe that Stomach wasn’t going to be this awful.