Bliss review: Psychotropic drugs and vampirism collide with a heavy, heavy metal score in the latest film from Joe Begos.
Image Courtesy of Clout Communications
Dezzy (Dora Madison) is a wild and fiery artist. She has also come to a sticking point with her current piece. Weeks overdue and unceremoniously dropped by her agent leads to her calling up her friend and drug dealer, Hadrian (Graham Skipper). Eager to get her creative juices flowing, she happily accepts a new potent drug called Bliss. Described as a mixture of cocaine and DMT, the drug has euphoric and hallucinogenic properties that helps her creativity begin again. Then, during a Bliss-fuelled binge, she encounters someone whom may, or may not, be a vampire. As Dezzy’s perceived need for blood is only sated by Bliss, she tumbles into a pit of addiction and self-destruction.
From the frenetic, vibrant , seizure inducing opening credits, watching Bliss, as the subject matter suggests, is very much like watching someone on a drug trip. Director Joe Begos somehow manages to perfectly capture that essence and feeling of being blind drunk. This sensation, as with the bulk of the film, comes together in the edit. Images overlap one another and morph from this to that; the colours change, pulsing their way through the rainbow, and there’s a serious amount of strobe light. The camera is almost in constant motion, aiding the queasy feeling and heightening those drunken sensations. The film, much like the piece Dezzy is working on, is a work of art. Beautiful and hypnotic, the film seduces the viewer, but unlike beer goggles, you’ll still like Bliss the morning after.
Image Courtesy of Clout Communications
Even the locations of the film are stunning. Most of the action takes place within Dezzy’s studio, which is bordered by ceiling-to-floor windows. It overlooks the LA freeway and skyline, and features some amazing sunset shots that add even more depth of colour and beauty to the cinematography.
The soundtrack is loud, violent, pure heavy metal and dirty rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an important element to discuss as, in a way, it is its own character. The music builds, slowly building more and more intense, mirroring Dezzy’s descent. There’s also hardly a frame of the film that isn’t accompanied in one way or another with thrashing guitars and pounding drums. It gives the film the energy and feel of an old school music video, something akin to Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden.
Image Courtesy of Clout Communications
Dora Madison’s performance is simply stunning. Begos throws a lot at the actor and she attacks it all with relish. There’s plenty of nudity (all assisting, rather than detracting from the plot), screaming, and genuinely getting to grips with her dark side. Bliss could all too easily have started to stray into silliness, a la Mandy, but Madison’s restrained performance, which teeters on the brink of madness without following through, saves the film from such a fate.
With the omission of a single glimpsed mobile phone, Bliss could almost be timeless. Having been shot on film and not digitally, the visuals in the film inspire an almost nineties vibe. The fashion is kept neutral, with no big en-vogue trends pandered too, and rock ‘n’ roll music never ages. All of this works in Begos’ favour as it gives the film lasting appeal and ensures its longevity. There’s nothing worse than a movie which capitalises on popular in culture as, in a year or two, they make themselves irrelevant. Bliss is a film that people can discover for decades to come and still feel as though it’s a brand new film.
A timeless and beautiful drug fuelled nightmare what happens in Bliss might be anything but; but to the right viewer, it is exactly that.
Bliss was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest 2019.
