What We Do In The Shadows (15.)
Directed by Taika Waitiki and Jemaine Clement.
Starring Taika Waitiki, Jemaine Clement, Jonathon Burgh, Cori Gonzalez Macuer, Stuart Rutherford and Jackie Van Beek. 86 mins
The Addams Family and Keeping Up With the Kardashians conflate in this New Zealand black comedy. A mock documentary about a group of vampires who house share in Wellington, its premise is technically original while exploring two of the most exhausted genres of this century. The territory may be tired but the two genres offer almost limitless cliches to be sent up and the film works its way gleefully through most of them. The result is a joyful, laugh out loud gem that is strangely disturbing.
Clement is known for being half of Flight of the Concord and he previously paired up with Waitiki on the film Eagle vs Shark, but I'd say this was the most overtly funny film either has been involved with. The targets are obvious but performances are all spot on and the effects are surprisingly good for what you assume is a lowish budget production and the treatment always has a little twist.
In this age of wimpy, sensitive vampires, this film really gives them back their menace. They are ruthless killers with little regard for the human beings they slaughter and film has its bloodthirsty moments – though Viago (Waitiki) puts papers and towels down before biting into his latest victim in an attempt to prevent blood getting on his best sofa. In its conception, it actually bears close resemblance to Man Bites Dog, the Belgium film that provoked a scandal twenty odd years ago with its snuff film aesthetics. In it a camera crew follow a serial killer around and document his atrocities. The most disturbing thing was not the rapes and murders, but the passive way they are recorded by the film crew who eventually become accomplices. Here a film crew from The New Zealand Documentary Board, stand around filming murders and it isn't intended to be shocking at all. The film acts like it is blithely unaware of how twisted and dark its premise is; it is just a carefree, happy-go-lucky, feelgood black comedy.
Directed by Taika Waitiki and Jemaine Clement.
Starring Taika Waitiki, Jemaine Clement, Jonathon Burgh, Cori Gonzalez Macuer, Stuart Rutherford and Jackie Van Beek. 86 mins
The Addams Family and Keeping Up With the Kardashians conflate in this New Zealand black comedy. A mock documentary about a group of vampires who house share in Wellington, its premise is technically original while exploring two of the most exhausted genres of this century. The territory may be tired but the two genres offer almost limitless cliches to be sent up and the film works its way gleefully through most of them. The result is a joyful, laugh out loud gem that is strangely disturbing.
Clement is known for being half of Flight of the Concord and he previously paired up with Waitiki on the film Eagle vs Shark, but I'd say this was the most overtly funny film either has been involved with. The targets are obvious but performances are all spot on and the effects are surprisingly good for what you assume is a lowish budget production and the treatment always has a little twist.
In this age of wimpy, sensitive vampires, this film really gives them back their menace. They are ruthless killers with little regard for the human beings they slaughter and film has its bloodthirsty moments – though Viago (Waitiki) puts papers and towels down before biting into his latest victim in an attempt to prevent blood getting on his best sofa. In its conception, it actually bears close resemblance to Man Bites Dog, the Belgium film that provoked a scandal twenty odd years ago with its snuff film aesthetics. In it a camera crew follow a serial killer around and document his atrocities. The most disturbing thing was not the rapes and murders, but the passive way they are recorded by the film crew who eventually become accomplices. Here a film crew from The New Zealand Documentary Board, stand around filming murders and it isn't intended to be shocking at all. The film acts like it is blithely unaware of how twisted and dark its premise is; it is just a carefree, happy-go-lucky, feelgood black comedy.
