The film has a really intense opening sequence, with
powerful images and sound and without dialogue. One man disposes of a diseased
cow, transporting its corpse to where other corpses are burning. The man then
watches the fire silently, the sharp sounds of the fire speaking for him. It is
then we see a younger man, Adam, his son, watching as well. Adam then turns and
walks away.
Soon we see Adam telling a story of his father to some
people in a pub, and through that we learn that his father died ten years
earlier. I love that the film doesn’t bother to ground us and situate us
immediately. It doesn’t need to, for the filmmakers have gained our trust with
that opening sequence and know they can take their time, that we’re on board.
Plus, these early scenes give us the feeling of drifting ourselves, which work
perfectly to align us with Adam. Besides, we have no choice. No one else stays
in frame long enough for us to identify with. This is a man who is alone. Even
in that pub scene, the folks he talks with are all much older than him, and you
feel he’s sort of invaded their space, as he does later at someone’s eighteenth
birthday party.
It isn’t until his brother Aiden calls him to tell him
that he and his wife are having a baby, that we feel he has anyone who cares
about him. And even then it’s clear that these relations are strained, to say
the least. Aiden tells Adam that he expects him to be there for the birth, or
never wants to see him again. And the film then shows us Adam’s journey home,
which is not simply a physical journey, but an emotional and psychological one.
He has to get there in steps. He first tries to connect
with an old girlfriend who immediately asks him, “Why are you here?” And
it’s like he’s more alone than before. Even when he wins some money in a slot
machine, it’s sad. He yells “Bingo,” but there’s no one there to hear,
no one to care, to share the experience with him (no one but us, that is).
There are lots of great moments like that in establishing his character,
without exposition.
And as he travels home, he also travels back in his
memories, and we begin to learn a bit more about who he is and where he comes
from and why he left. There is a scene where Adam visits his cousin Keith, who
warmly embraces him. And we feel relief, because we’ve come to like this guy.
And he discovers pieces of himself he’d forgotten about. That smile when his
cousin shows him photos that he’d taken is so sudden, so honest, that you think
maybe he’ll be okay.
Blood Cells is a powerful and emotionally engaging
film with strong imagery and sound and a tremendous lead performance. It was
directed by Joseph Bell and Luke Seomore, and is scheduled to be released on
DVD on August 17, 2015 through Garden Thieves Pictures. There are no special
features on the DVD.
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