My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To

Fascinating debut. A darkly atmospheric (and slightly horror-tinged) drama about the weight of family responsibilities that tells the story of three siblings whose coexistence is very negatively affected by the illness of one of them, who needs a constant supply of blood to survive – basically, he’s a vampire, though it’s never made explicit. The film clearly didn’t cost much, it makes do with the solid performances and the unquestionable talent of the creator. I almost don't understand how a film that was obviously very cheap can look so beautiful, but not in terms of set design, effects or camera gimmicks, but in its colour palette and the way it arranges the mostly static scenes. There are some shots that I would print, frame and hang in my living room. I'm fully convinced that if this guy doesn't stop filming, he'll be very famous one day (I hope to come back here in a few years and be glad that the prediction came true, heh). In its budget category, this is clearly one of the films of the year. (26.06.2021)

A strange film, more of a drama with light horror elements that will please fans of indie festival cheapies. Definitely nothing to cheer about and it's exactly the kind of film where I know who will enjoy it and who won't. It’s about three siblings, one of them needs a big supply blood and the older one has to take care of him. There's not much gore and the kills aren't very interesting, the 4:3 format got on my nerves a bit and the actors give relatively eager performances, but none of them are likely to stick in my memory. The film flows slowly, it's very intimate, there's no twist and the story itself can't be considered strong either. It pretty much whizzed past me and did nothing, but the effort is there. With a bigger budget they could have conjured up something more solid. Story 3/5, Action 1/5, Humor>No, Violence 2/5, Fun 2/5, Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 2/5, Suspense 1/5,Actors 3/5. 4/10. (01.07.2021)