Year: 2014
Director: Taika Waititi
Country: New Zealand
Language: English
Taika Waititi is a New Zealand film-maker with a tremendous amount of talent. Best known for directing one of my favourite superhero films; Thor: Ragnarok, he has also made the highest grossing kiwi film Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Academy Award Nominated Two Cars, One Night (2004) and TIFF People's Choice Award Winner Jo Jo Rabbit (2019) Tonight I watched quite a unique horror-comedy from him called What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Follow the lives of Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) - three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life's obstacles-like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014) was such a critical success that an American version has been adapted as a television series for Fox. The show has been renewed for a second season in 2020. Waititi's film takes an overexposed sub-genre (vampire) gives it a hack format (MTV-like documentary) and turns it into comedy gold. The absurdity of their situation mixes well with slapstick, though the film would never have worked without all the actors playing their part like they're in a serious melo-drama. Every arguement, no matter how dumb, is played convincingly.
The writing is brilliant- exploiting every monsters-of-the-night scenario - and dissecting every little vampire trope to its fullest extent. Vampires can only go into places if you ask them to come in? Sucks if you have to go into a bar. Vampires can stay the same age forever? Sucks if you were bitten when you were 12. "Going to lure some perverts tonight are we?"
What We Do in the Shadows is great because it treads a fine line between comedy and horror. Its dark humour has no limits, though thankfully it doesn't try to find out as the film is fairly short. In addition to fine acting and a great script, the technical effects and production design are quite equisite. Though the subject matter is quite silly, the atmosphere of realism gives the film quite a lot of credibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment