On blood drinking (to the rhythm of troubles and a vacuum cleaner)

Vampires. What comes to your mind when you think about these nasty creatures? Some would call them bloodthirsty, others would immediately associate them with Dracula.

They appeared in a Polański movie. Gary Oldman played a vampire ruler. This 'cult' was created by Bram Stoker who in 1897 published a Dracula novel which once and for all changed the image of these bloodsuckers in the pop culture. Thanks to Stoker, we associate vampires with darkness and cruelty. They are literally embodiments of evil, underlings of the devil himself. Luckily, two gentlemen from New Zealand decided to show us a brighter, human side of vampires. After all, we cannot eternally smear them. Even the worst monsters have feelings! For a hundred years, we've been watching them in action, accompanying them in their killings, supporting them in sucking blood from the necks of their least fortunate victims. But we (humans, mortals) have always been curious... What do they do in hiding?

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are trying to answer this question in a documentary about the life of vampires in the 21st century. They combine the unique style of the former and the humour and unconventional form of the latter. As a result, the audience gets an explosive mixture. Three inhabitants of a "squalid castle" in the suburbs are trying to survive in the surrounding environment. Each of them comes from a different century, which makes it more difficult for them to fully cooperate. What is more, they need to take care of the fourth resident, Petyr. He's more of a monster from a nightmare than a human, which doesn't make the task any easier. The characters are exceptionally genuine. Instantly, they convince the audience to follow their lives. Their adventures are simply charming - almost like Allen's movies, but we are still talking about monsters.

The brightest side of the production is in the story itself. It's ridiculous and painfully direct, yet utterly satisfying. We won't get the bloodshed like in Van Helsing, but we will get all the answers to our tormenting questions: How does the vampire get dressed if he or she doesn't see himself/herself in the mirror? Are vampires capable of love? How do they cope with loneliness and hiding their true selves? The list of questions is much longer. In the interviews, they talk about the old times, about their problems; they are trying to understand the changes around them. The action is almost entirely set in their mansion (which is so Buñuel), therefore, we can admire great acting. Viago (Taika Waititi) amuses the audience with his accent and clumsiness. Deacon (Jonny Brugh) is brusque and hyperactive, which will not bring him allies. The third protagonist, Vladislav (Jemaine Clement), the true Dracula, is trying to be the strict and proper lord and ruler. He lives in the past, which turns out to be as good a plot theme as the other ones. I really enjoy such great diversity. You can feel the breath of novelty so the audience should not feel cheated. This "mockumentary'' is a classy movie that was shot with passion. It isn't everything, though, because even here we will find what people loved in the previous vampire productions. Even the cutest vampire shows his fangs... 

"You didn't forget about the fantastic motifs and main features of these creatures, which is fantastic!" one reviewer said to the directors once. It's just a rumour, but we really hope it happened because it's so true! For example, we observe the inept hunting for victims by the three protagonists. Viago, being a true pedant, gets annoyed when blood soils his apartment. Deacon likes getting into fights, he even often argues with werewolves! (depicted in a very unconventional way, by the way). Vlad loves torturing his victims, even though he is such a generous person and friend. All in all, the transformation of one of the supporting characters into a vampire is the most interesting to watch. We can observe the entire transformation and the pros and cons of having the new powers. Is it really worth it to become immortal? Is the price really worth paying? We can find it out in a merely 1.5-hour movie! And, most importantly, we will find an answer to the following question: Why can't vampires eat French fries? Finally, the last issue - the film's surreal atmosphere. I still wonder why such a fable made me involved. Everything seems to be so unreal and the closed plot should be dull and boring. Yet with every minute we buy it more and more willingly. We believe what we see on screen. It is probably because the entire production is human, it's as simple as that. Almost any of the adventures could have happened to the average Joe. Maybe we should change the assumed pop culture formulas if this "short film" is better than virtually all new Dracula productions? 

A killer vampire who bares his teeth is a thing of the past, the relic of the times when the audience wanted to be scared and expected a monster, like in Alien, for example. A vampire doing his household chores is much better. And a vampire who complains and parties hard. And the one who has his problems and he cannot break himself of his old habits. Why do we like them more? Because if you find a part of yourself, your behavior, your own worries and troubles, their image will turn out to be even more horrifying than any horror movie made so far.