Bleeding reimagines the classical vampire story as a story about drug addiction and classism, which is admittedly one of the most common interpretations of vampire stories since they first began. As a movie with a smaller budget, and the feature directorial debut for writer and director Andrew Bell, Bleeding is rough around the edges. And while the story at the center of it all proves intriguing, the execution dulls the narrative to the point of ruin.
Cousins Eric (John R. Howley) and Sean (Jasper Jones) find themselves in a risky situation when their ᴀssociation with a popular drug derived from vampire blood turns their lives upside down. They get mixed up with a dangerous dealer, and come face to face with the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ who supply these drugs. Along the way, they reconnect and uncover the challenges that plague their individual lives.
Bleeding Leaves A Lot To Be Desired In Terms Of Production
Typically, what I want from a film is a great story. With a solid foundation, it doesn’t matter if the acting is a little shaky or the pacing is slightly off, but Bleeding takes this to an extreme. For one, the entire film has terrible lighting. From the beginning to the end, the events that unfold onscreen are simply too dark. In addition, the choices made in filming are bizarre, with lingering sH๏τs on unimportant parts of a scene like a running sink, and long stretches that are silent and drop the momentum of the plot.
Bleeding would have made a much better and more effective short film.
In isolation, any of these issues may be forgivable, and the movie could overcome it with a strong story, but unfortunately, Bleeding doesn’t justify its 90-minute runtime. It would have made a much better and more effective short film. With many scenes being unnecessary, and long stretches where nothing of worth happens, the result is a movie that is too stretched out, with sub-par production and a disappointingly simple narrative.
There are some moments where the main characters interact that feel promising, and their connection takes center stage, but this is far outweighed by the amount of time the film wastes with meandering details that don’t go anywhere. There are elements here that could have contributed to a good story, but its execution makes it redundant.
Bleeding Fails To Make An Old Story New
There is nothing wrong with taking a commonly explored subject and innovating to make it fresh. Vampires are a staple in cinema, but they have also been reimagined countless times to create compelling new stories. Bell shifts the focus to the humans living in a world of vampires, examining the addictions of vampire blood as a metaphor for drug addiction, but even this idea is a common and prolific one when examining the genre.
The acting by the two leads, Jasper Jones and John R. Howley, creates some strong moments, but the overall film lacks bite.
Bleeding has had a lot of love and time invested into bringing it to life, and I’m not trying to diminish the talents of the individuals involved. The film just needed more refining. Bell has successfully created compelling short narratives, but Bleeding is not what it could be as a feature. The acting from Jasper Jones and John R. Howley creates some strong moments, but the overall film lacks bite.
With the lighting issues, the slow pacing, the long dramatic quiet, and bizarre choices around shooting inanimate objects for prolonged periods of time, the movie has too much that works against it. On top of all that, after what is clearly established as a dramatic, quiet and reflective ending, the credits immediately change the tone with a hardcore metal song that erases the moment before it. Bleeding has the occasional win, but it’s riddled with problems that can’t be overlooked.
