Director: Amelia Moses
Notable Cast: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King
So, Michael Ironside
Well, it took a bit longer than expected, but now we have
it. Werewolf films are, at least in the opinion of this reviewer, something of
a repetitive subgenre. When the execution is there, the films can be a
wonderful use of metaphor or representation for social and character-driven
elements, but the overall repeated focus of lycanthropy as a physical
manifestation of an interior force gets a bit tiresome after a while. When it’s
good, boy howdy, is it good, but too often films in the genre are all bark and
very little bite. Yet, this is the perfect time in horror cinema to partner the
werewolf transformation with character-driven artistry. Bloodthirsty has
no qualms in bounding right into it. Fortunately, the execution of the film is
remarkably strong with plenty of atmosphere to choke on and the focus on
characters makes for an effective watch. It’s a slow film though and its minimal
approach to its werewolf elements skirts around delivering on some of its promises.
Still, Bloodthirsty is the perfect film for the atmosphere and art
driven focus of the current scene.
When a singer, Grey (Beatty), finds herself questioning her
abilities to follow up her last hit record, she decides to team up with an eclectic
and reclusive megaproducer Vaughn (Bryk) in his remote house studio to find her
voice again. With her reluctant girlfriend (King So) in tow, Grey aims to open
her mind and rediscover her true nature. What Vaughn brings out in her though
may be far more dangerous and animalistic than anyone could have expected.
Uncovering one’s animalistic side is certainly a fear that
many people can relate to in regards to a character connection. Even when the
main character is somewhat detached from the usual worlds of an audience member
(raise your hand if you’re a popular indie singer struggling to find their artistic
voice again and must contend with egotistical super producers,) Bloodthirsty
does a remarkably effective job at making the characters relatable due to the
basic human emotional core of the film. It’s a film about identity crisis and
how the changing aspects of life change people, sometimes in progressive or
regressive ways – depending on how one wants to read the film, and the relationships
to significant others, work, and one’s own needs to find themselves ring true
throughout. This is not unusual for a werewolf film, but the manner that
director Amelia Moses handles the material injects it with a strong heart and an emotional resonance that will connect with audiences.
Much of the narrative weight is squarely placed on the shoulders
of Lauren Beatty, who ably hefts the film through the somewhat formulaic plotting
that is required. The slow pacing of the plot, which focuses quite a bit of
time in the first two-thirds on developing the characters and the quiet moments
to define Grey’s struggle, can be trying if one doesn’t make the connection.
Beatty does carry the film though and her work impressively parallels with the
atmosphere and focus that director Moses is bringing to the material too. Once
the werewolf elements become more clear, Bloodthirsty doesn’t deviate
from its established style to deliver on its more visceral moments, which
should be notable for fans of the physical werewolf material. There are some
great visuals though, including Grey’s dreamlike moments of her own physical
transformations, which feed well into the mental strain of the characters and the
atmosphere of the setting and rising tensions between characters.
Bloodthirsty is an atmospheric and thoughtfully
crafted artistic version of the classic werewolf tale. Much of its themes and
plotting might be overly familiar for the horror fans watching, but as we
always say on this site – originality is overrated and it’s all about the
execution. An execution that Bloodthirsty has in spades. It’s a layered
and character-focused film that hits hard on its emotional moments and features some
fantastically nuanced performances and a sense of atmosphere that fits right in
with the current state of horror. It might have taken a while for the style to
grab onto a werewolf film, but Bloodthirsty combines the two with
emphatic fervor.
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