DhariaLezin I was really surprised after watching this vampire movie. It is refreshing after all the soap-opera vampire dramas that have been on TV and movies recently that make the vampires corny stupid creatures. If you are looking for blood and gore, this is not gonna be your kind of movie, but if you are into psychological thrillers with extremely well created characters go for it. Perhaps the thing that hooked me up the most in this tiny indie movie, is that each of the characters that appear have a story to tell, even if their appearance is short. It has many elements that have not seen in a movie before with the touch that the director gives, such a suicide community online, and a serial killer that actually kills the victims with their consent, making him kind of sweet. You will never understand for sure if he is a vampire or why he does what he does, but you get really attached to different characters in one way or another and you cannot help feeling empathy for more than one in different moments. There is no way you can hate Simon (the main character), even if he is a "serial killer", and when you hear the victims, you also get why they don't wanna live anymore. The dialogs are breathtaking, and the acting of every single actor is just fabulous. Definitely the casting team made excellent choices, I didn't know most of them, but that was an amazing surprise, again, specially for being an indie low budget movie. I would have given it a ten if the last half an hour of the movie didn't got slower, and because of the photography. Although it is good, some scenes are extremely long for just one shot. However, I would recommend it if you want something new, deep and with a deep psychological content about vampires.

CountZero313 Iwai steps out of his Japanese comfort zone to produce an all-English film that never sparks to life. A young teacher with a thirst for blood helps wannabe suicides to die, at the same time taking payment in blood to satisfy his craving.Iwai goes after lyricism and visual poetry but forgets plot and character. These dull, droll people - they are all too sharp, witty, beautiful, young and clear-eyed to in any way convince that they are clinically depressed - wander through the frame, spouting little clunky monologues that are forgotten as soon as heard. There are some nice images here, you'd expect no less from Iwai, but the master storyteller who gave us Swallowtail and Love Letter does not inhabit this film. The subtlety and youthful longings that permeated Hana and Alice are also conspicuous by their absence. There is no dramatic tension, no empathy, no persuasive on-screen relationships - Martin and his mother never really convey a sense of shared history. A relationship with a cop seems forced in order to introduce an equally wooden stalker character. The script is badly under-realised, and everything after that can't move beyond that initial failure.Iwai on top of his game is one of the world's best filmmakers, so it is deeply disappointing to see this flat, facile film in his oeuvre. Brief glimpses of his visual prowess remain, and allied to a stronger narrative, give hope that the old Iwai will show up in his next film. It's small consolation for having to sit through this.

jmrmrogers I am a hard core film lover of the umpteenth degree and will always give a film, especially a film festival/art house film, a second and third chance at proving and redeeming itself. I've never walked out on a film. Until now. Reasons: The dialog was insipid with what appeared to be little thought in creating; the story was eye-rolling (how many suicides do you happen to run into? This leading man, who seems to invite death, has them happening all around him; how fortunate); and, the act of raping and murdering a young woman unnecessarily was put in, in my opinion, just for the purpose of filming it. And that's unconscionable. If you wish to see director Iwai masturbating on screen (not literally, folks), knock yourself out with this film. For any serious moviegoer who has a love for film and respect for all those connected with the creation of it, this movie is not for you.

julesette I just finished watching this film at Sundance, and it was nothing like I expected. Very little gore, a cool and somehow likable main character. Why Keisha Castle-Hughes has top billing I don't understand, when she only has one scene at the very beginning. Adelaide Clemens stood out, as the girl who just might save our "hero," had not Rachael Leigh Cook, great as the pushiest would-be girlfriend I ever saw, went and ruined it all. Amanda Plummer gives an outstanding performance while only uttering one word in the whole film. Kevin Segers is terrific as Simon. Simon is vampire as boy next door, without any annoying vampire clichés to get in the way.Now my problems with the film. The dialogue was a little trying at some points, but since the writer/director is not a native English speaker,it's forgivable most of the time. The movie did go on too long, there were moments where I thought "okay, that's the end," followed later by, "okay, now that's the end." One of the final scenes, featuring Kristin Kreuk of Smallville fame, is charming doesn't give us any more insight into Simon's story. Was she the first? Why is this flashback being featured at the end like this, when Simon's story is, essentially, over? My biggest problem with the film were the rotated shots. For no apparent reason as we see Simon and his new friend fishing, the shot is upside down. There's at least another few shots that are sideways. They added nothing to the film and only inspired me to tilt my head for a better view.The film also features a insightful study on the depressed and suicidal. Both actors and director bring their pain to the forefront without any over-dramatic clichés. The scenes between Simon and the women are poignant, especially the non-vampire scene with his student.If you're looking for a horror movie, this is not it. The most gruesome scene in the film features the main character only on the sidelines being repulsed by it. But if you like vampire as ordinary hero -- and not the fangy or sparkly kind -- you may enjoy it.