FANTASIA 2020: Bleed With Me
FANTASIAAmelia Moses’ directorial feature-length debut is a cold, calculated and enigmatic thriller that brews in its darkly claustrophobic setting and highlights a beautiful group of performances and use of mise-en-scene.
Mystery and enigmatic expression is the forefront of Bleed With Me. A film engulfed in subtly and nuance without a conscious or on-the-nose depiction of what is reality or what is a fabrication of the mind. In its cold nature, a cabin fever-like atmosphere slowly but surely erupts into a series of paranoia in an engaging and darkly constructed horror; even its third act remains ambiguous on its stance of actuality.
The production design is eloquently built as an oxymoronic relationship to its characters; while the latter are most definitely cold – and consciously so – the setting that inhabits them is the complete opposite. A warm and home-like nature production design from Stephanie Burbano and cinematography from Rene Arseneau are implemented to craft an uneasy albeit welcoming image. The use of dark browns and oranges offer a relaxing surrounding for both audience and characters. Offering the same predicament of both the audience and characters questioning if Lee Marshall's Rowan is truly witnessing horrors or if her imagination and mental health are dictating reality for her.
It is an element that undoubtedly and unabashedly makes Bleed With Me work. It reinforces the continued questioning of sanity and elevates the performance of Marshall by not having the actress double down with on-the-nose gestures while it provides her with nuance and subtle manifestations of character. Ultimately, it leads to having the actress respond to her surroundings rather than vice versa. A seemingly slight but integral aspect to proceedings that makes the setting a character of sorts in its own right.
Regardless, Lee Marshall puts forward a wonderfully compelling performance. The actress's range is constantly engaging and effective with how her story arc develops. The silence and stillness the actress inhabit not only adds to the eerieness of the picture but also again elevates the theme of the picture ten-fold with a lack of insight into her personality and life.
Then there is the writing from Moses, which succeeds in travelling a thin line between enigmatic mysticism and drastically underwriting her characters. Less is more and, granted, Moses does reveal little by little but remains firm in restraining from revealing intentions and factuality. Elements that not only showcase Moses as incredibly capable behind the camera but a director showcasing terrific maturity within the genre. This cements the writer-director as one to watch and adds Bleed With Me into the very rare classification of a fantastic directorial debut.
