Fantasia 2020 Review: Bleed With Me, A Bloody Awkward Holiday
I would, first of all, like to state that, from the very start of this film, I was horrified by the set up alone. Third wheeling? In a cabin in the woods?? With a couple you barely know??? Horrifying. But that’s where Rowan (Lee Marshall) finds herself in Bleed with Me; very much a spare part on a mountain getaway with Emily (Lauren Beatty) and Brendan (Aris Tyros). In this mountain cabin with nothing to entertain them but walks, wine, and a fireplace, things slowly descend into confusion when Rowan starts to suspect that Emily is after her blood. Literally.
‘Awkward’ is the word of the day in this film. Conversations are pained and joviality is forced, as is intimacy, especially between the two women. I can’t tell you if the tension between them is sexual, obsessive, or straight up bloodlust, but whatever it is, it’s palpable. We only get snippets of backstory for the characters but we are always left with more questions than answers. What happened to Emily’s leg? Where does Rowan even come from? And why does Brendan…um…well actually, Brendan just seems like a nice guy who is an unwitting bystander to Rowan and Emily’s budding friendship, which gets weirder by the day. This friendship continually shifts and grows until it dominates the very atmosphere of the cabin, mostly with unspoken gestures and looks, all under Brendan’s totally oblivious nose.
Almost every line they utter is awkward, which I feel is by design, and creates a feeling of second hand ‘ick’ and general creepiness, without you, the viewer, always being able to pinpoint exactly what’s happened or what’s been said to give you that feeling. We are not privy to the motives of anyone, especially Rowan, even though the film is entirely from her point of view. She suspects Emily, so we do too (but also because Emily’s response to Rowan cutting her finger is actually psychotic, and would send any normal person running into the wilderness), but can Rowan’s point of view be entirely trusted? Who’s to say.
The camera work in the film is incredibly well done; from the wide shots of the beautiful Canadian landscape, to the more intimate shots of the trio making and eating dinner together, and to the extreme close ups of unblinking eyes or bloody fingers. The score by Dominic Caterina comes in sharp shocks of strings and synths, usually accompanying close ups, which are effective devices to set your teeth on edge and increase the intensity at exactly the right moments. All three actors do a brilliant job, especially considering there is nowhere to hide in such a small cast. Tyros is the right amount of charming as the mostly laid-back Brendan, Beatty plays Emily with a steady unwavering gaze, and a slightly off phrasing of sentences, which feels uncomfortable and exposing. But it’s Marshall who stands out. She portrays Rowan’s innocent keenness, utter confusion, and loss of control with such dexterity and sincerity that it’s impossible not to be pulled in.
Despite the title, there are very few gory scenes in this film. The creeping unease it creates is all psychological. Watching feels almost voyeuristic; we shouldn’t be here, and Rowan shouldn’t be on this holiday clearly meant for couples, and Emily shouldn’t be so sharply focused on Rowan. This unease extends to moments that would be perfectly normal in any other film; someone cutting vegetables, someone drinking tea they didn’t make themselves, taking an aspirin from someone, etc. Everything feels wrong and it’s hard to tell what’s real.
Amelia Moses has created a film you could watch more than once, looking for clues or arguing about what actually happened. The end comes unexpectedly and leaves you with no hints, no inclinations, no breadcrumbs as to what becomes of these people. For some, that may sound frustrating, but, if like me, you enjoy a bit of mystery, then you might enjoy Bleed with Me. One thing is certain, it is yet another film that puts isolated cabins in the woods firmly in the ‘hell no’ pile when it comes to making holiday plans.
Bleed With Me was reviewed as part of our coverage of Fantasia 2020.
Isaura Barbé-Brown is a Hackney born and based actress. She studied at AADA in New York and BADA in Oxford. She has done talks at the BFI for their Squad Goals event and with the Bechdel Test Fest on race in romantic films. She has also been on panels for BFI Future Film, The Watersprite Film Festival and The Norwich Film Festival. Isaura’s acting work covers theatre, film, tv and voiceover. She has also written short film scripts and plays as well as short stories and poetry.
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