Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: KICKING BLOOD [Toronto International Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]
Vampire lore is usually built on an element of survival. In "Kicking Blood" [Contemporary World Cinema], the aspect is one of addiction and reversal. Anna [Alanna Hale] goes about her day working in a library but knows she has to feed. She, despite just looking for a prey, comes upon Robbie, a suicidal alcoholic [played by Luke Bilyk] who wants too die (though his reasonings for falling don't seem very solid). The aspect of change is the irony that he has no fear about dying. Fear seems to make the blood taste better which gives Anna pause. In many way there is a throwback to "The Addiction" which Abel Ferrara directed with Lily Taylor in the 90s. Here Anna's aspect of humanity has her pushing and pulling between what her pack wants to do and maintaining a monastic lifestyle in a way where she loves books and both embraces her lifestyle and yet feels trapped by it. The story itself is insular and is shot in the filming hotbed of Sudbury in Northern Ontario where a lot of popular Canadian shows are shot.
Robbie's only friend Bernice seems to be pushing him back towards the bottle but that seems too integrated as a non-conducive and empty plot ploy. The angle of the story that doesn't really gel is Anna putting up with Robbie since there doesn't seem to be much redeemable about him and the chemistry doesn't really click. Hale has a presence like an Anna Taylor Joy, cold and yet strong, powerful and yet vulnerable which makes her stand apart especially in certain shots which are more framed like paintings. One scene encapsulates the film but has nothing to do with Robbi...and this is for the better. It is simply an offhanded comment that the vampires say when they corner a prey in a social situation. They play with the psyche of their target (aka food) saying he looks like "the Baron" and proceed to mess with him before attacking. it is a moment that shows time and yet an inherent understanding. Unfortunately the rest of the film does not reflect this inherent elevation, despite its redemptive possibilities. C
By Tim Wassberg
