Vampires and romance go hand in hand; however, it could be narrative poison with the wrong ingredients. That may be a case on why filmmakers don’t use it, or some are not bold enough to make that choice as they know it might not end up working because it might get that “campy” feeling in the way. There are a few of them that work like Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive” (2013) and “The Hunger” (1983), but one of the best examples of this specific case is “Let the Right One In” (2008), where it touches your heart while adding a splash of bloody scenes.
Now, Blaine Thurier wants to take a turn at the deadly combination “Kicking Blood,” his new feature. In some of its first moments, you see signs of him pulling it off. You are on his side cheering him on because who doesn’t love a romantic yet bloody vampire movie. It does indeed start excitingly; I just wished it could have maintained its focus clear and steady instead of maneuvering onto different topics simultaneously.
A vampire, Anna (Alanna Bale), is quite disappointed with the aspect of living forever. She has less guilt on the people she kills to feed her necessary blood dosage and is weary of saying goodbye to the people she likes. Her only human friend, Bernice (Rosemary Dunsmore), is very ill, and her other friends are fellow vampires who hunt humans to get high on their blood. When she encounters a suicidal alcoholic who wants to change for the better by not drinking anymore, Robbie (Luke Bilyk), she starts to question her actions in her life.
“Kicking Blood” intends to be a “satire” of what we call “serious” vampire films. Still, the thing is, two of the previously mentioned don’t take themselves too seriously. They indulge in the silly and campy while being erotic, in their manner, and quite funny. However, this one does not dwell in the comedic undertones, yet it has wry or dry humor for some reason. You go with it at first; the deadpan humor sticks nicely for a while. Then, the dry jokes keep running in, and it is fun, for my taste, of course, albeit something happens that switches everything up and ruins the so-far-so-good structure it had.
That something is the introduction of the male lead, which destroys the fun you had at the beginning. The character’s core is vital, as both characters are fighting their inner demons in different ways. One feeds on liquor and the other on blood. It’s a good start that intrigues you to keep on with the picture, but then the “satire” gag runs out. It is now a soap vampire drama with no horror present. The switch is confusing, making you question if it was part of the satirical joke or just poor storyboarding.
The film’s best strengths are when it focuses on Anna dealing with the angst of existing forever because she’s immortal; it is at its worst when Robbie comes into the mix. Luke Bilyk doesn’t give that bad of a performance. Still, for the arc that the movie is setting up, his character suffers from poor writing. For it to be a satire, you’d expect various darkly comedic jokes, like Anna’s witty responses during the first minutes. Instead, you get scenes that repeat once or twice and feel unnecessary.
I’m all in for satire, especially when it involves sassy deadpan humor and vampires, but switching multiple gears at the movie’s first half isn’t a good sign of solid composition, and the pacing doesn’t help either. Although it isn’t a lengthy film, which benefits it, some scenes go on for so long that you already want them to get to the point. The good moments you wish had lasted forever; but they would have gotten tiresome in extensive bits, and the worst of moments you just craved only lasted a couple of seconds. It suffers from its botched narrative, leaving Alanna Bale to try and carry it on her back, albeit she fails.
This review of “Kicking Blood” is written from its screening at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
