Movie Review Blood Covered Chocolate (2022)
Chocolate Covered in Blood , 2022.
Directed by Monte Luce.
With Michael Kluge, Christine Nguyen, Helen Woody, Mike Ferguson, Debra Lamb, Megan Deanna Smith, Joe Altieri and Jamie Tran.
SUMMARY:
A recovering heroin addict is bitten by a shape-shifting vampire and must save his girlfriend from the same fate.
Presented as a homage to Nosferatu , everyone who enters Bloody Chocolate expects a narrative homage to FW Murnaus 1922. Vampire mythology as a model and respect for cinema in general.
This gives writer/director Monte Light plenty of opportunities to play with your expectations and take you on a journey that puts the film in the company of weirder vampire movies like George Romero's Martin and Addiction . the story is less obvious and more symbolic; Christopher Lee is not wearing a cape.
The film begins with Massimo (Michael Klug) and his girlfriend Thien (Christine Nguyen) having fun together. Massimo is a recovering heroin addict and Tin is an alcoholic celebrating a brief sobriety, and both seem happy and carefree in each other's company. However, a shadow hangs over Massimo, and it's not drugs. He has an odd relationship with his mother, Barbara (Debra Lamb), and her partner, Crate (Joe Altieri), an intimidating thug who may or may not have been involved in the disappearance of Massimo's father.
After a serious confrontation with Crate, in which Maximus is told to drop Tien because Crate thinks he's no good for him, Maximus opens the front door and bites him, revealed to be an ancient shapeshifter at this point. similar to Lucky (Jamie Tran), but later reconciles with Sophia (Megan Deanna Smith), who convinces Tien that she is Massimo's new love and begins convincing him to use touch to get rid of all the bad influences around him. his new vampire. competencies. Reluctant at first, Maximus grows in strength and confidence as he gradually takes on his new form.
Beautifully shot in black and white, dotted with red, with few color scenes and quick edits where Monte Light cuts clips from old film; Indonesian horror Mystique presents one of Bali's grittiest visuals. Bloody Chocolate is definitely a very personal film. for the director and is open to different interpretations regarding the nature of addiction, toxic masculinity, blood feud; Massimo has some odd thoughts about his mother that Sofia uses against him and the family, and Massimo is the perfect vessel to capture these underlying themes as they are. is definitely a handsome guy who wants to live a quiet life with Tien, but his surroundings won't let him.
Michael Klug gives a powerful performance as Massimo, a charming character in Norman Bates' fantasy, channeling all the frustration as the people around him want more from him than he's willing to give and the scene in which he clashes with the men. in his life, tease him to make it funnier. Joe Altieri as Crate is badass, and you can feel Massimo's anger when a violent offender pressures him into doing things he doesn't want to do and when Crate's friend Gage (Mike Ferguson) thinks Massimo is going through the same Klug-expert tremors. Anger, which makes the scene one of the most intense but also one of the most satisfying.
But every actor brings something special to their role, making every character on screen real and not caricature or just vampire fodder. Combining elements of film noir, horror, romance, drama and dark comedy, Chocolate Covered in Blood is no classic vampire flick-style carnage, and the neck-biting is almost secondary to the horrors Maximus and Tien must face. Yes, and there's some interesting dialogue between Massimo and Sofia about what it means to be a vampire, but there's so much going on, both visually and narratively, that the dark-hearted film somehow transcends the genre. Lie. . it doesn't feel forced or contrived.
As for the Nosferatu comparison, there are some incredibly elegant shots that salute Murnau; Spooky shadows look especially spooky in black and white, but with added red filters they look incredible, but chocolate covered in blood is something special. his, which exists within a psychedelic bubble of images and sounds that suggest a love of cinema and an incredibly unique storytelling style.
It might be a little too elaborate for horror fans looking for their next dose of blood, but if you put your mind to it, Chocolate Covered in Blood turns out to be one of the most original vampire movies to come out of the grave. from a rose. high. a lot. for a while, marking Monte Light as a visionary director to look to as a voice for the genre.
Burning Myth Rating - Movie: ★★★★★ / Movie: ★★★★
Chris Ward
