[projekktor id=’17659′]
Just when you thought vampire films and mockumentaries had moved into the realm of “passing fads”, What We Do In The Shadows has brought both back into the light. And though you’d be forgiven for being wary about a new film in either of those over-worked genres, the charming comedy flick about a group of vampires living in a flat in Wellington, New Zealand doesn’t suck…figuratively speaking.
In fact co-writer/directors Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark) pump fresh blood into genres once thought to be drained of their last drop. Waititi appears in the film’s central role as the sensitive, soft-spoken vampire Viago, an 18th Century dandy who yearns for his lost love. His flatmates include Vladislav (Clement), a medieval vampire fond of orgies and torture still reeling from an encounter with his arch-nemesis known only as The Beast; Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), a 19th Century party-boy who doesn’t do his dishes; and Petyr, an eight-thousand year old vampire who looks like a cross between Nosferatu and an anglerfish. We’re introduced to this cast of characters as they hold a meeting to discuss the household chores, hilariously riffing on vampire tropes as they do so.
Though there is minor discord in the house, life as a vampire doesn’t seem too bad in 21st Century New Zealand. The friends go out to nightclubs (though they run into some trouble getting bouncers to invite them in), bully groups of werewolves (who are very polite but have short tempers) and even have a human woman named Jackie (Jackie van Beek) who does their bidding in exchange for the promise of immortality. Yes, life is pretty good for a vampire it seems, that is until Petyr attacks and turns Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) bringing the young upstart into the house and exposing the flatmates to just how dull their lives have been. Nick brings along his human friend Stu (Stuart Rutherford) who introduces the vampires to computers and television, and gives them a new appreciation for human life (even if they do often have to stop themselves from eating him).
And this is what makes the film so endearing. Though What We Do In the Shadows may feel about ten years behind the proverbial curve, it does what the vast majority of mockumentaries and Twilight ripoffs couldn’t do: it gives it’s characters real emotional depth. In fact in the film’s second half – when the floating teacup in the mirror jokes (why do the vampire’s clothes disappear?) and the dinner parties ending in squirting arteries are all used up – it becomes a touching look at male friendship. It’s here that the filmmakers mine their best and most authentic laughs. Though they’ve had hundreds of years to think about their life’s mistakes and regrets, the vampires are still as thin-skinned, petty and resentful as your average teenager. The only difference is that they’re immortal.
If there’s a fault with the film it’s that it’s too short. The story builds towards The Unholy Masquerade, where every sort of supernatural being from across New Zealand assembles to celebrate, and where the identity of the fabled Beast is finally revealed. It’s a fun conclusion and every character sees their storyline tied up nicely, but it feels a bit like it rushes us out of a world that the filmmakers so carefully introduced us to. It’s a testament to Clement and Waititi that a comedy mockumentary about vampires can produce such withdrawal, but it also has the feeling of underutilizing a very well produced world. Jemaine Clement has made a career of creating man-boys who speak to the human condition while seemingly misunderstanding the whole business. What We Do In The Shadows is a shining addition to that resume, but hopefully in the future he can give us something with a little more bite.
Reviewed by Evan Arppe.
