Bleeding (2024)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

In a world where blood is used as a drug, two friends, Eric (John R. Howley) and Sean (Jasper Jones), are forced to go on the run–discovering a girl in an abandoned cabin along the way. Bleeding is another zombie flick, but with a slight twist. 

Bleeding has a ton of dialogue, to the point that the dialogue feels like it’s taking over the film. There’s seemingly not enough content to drive the film forward, often presenting viewers with little to nothing in terms of things to focus on. There just isn’t enough development in Bleeding, as these frequent lulls stunt the film’s growth and ultimate success. Additionally, some ineffective, throwaway lines hinder the potential emotion that’s already hanging on by a thread. Again, Bleeding is dialogue heavy, meaning that the film’s success is ultimately reliant on the effectiveness of the conversations between characters throughout the course of the film. The dialogue is often far too minimalistic, organic–in turn making it ineffective. 

What Bleeding boils down to is a story about addiction, a narrative and a trope that has been overplayed in cinema these days. Almost nothing about this is new, and Writer-Director Andrew Bell doesn’t alter the standard addiction narrative algorithm enough to warrant genuine appreciation. If you’ve enjoyed films about addiction in the past, you’ll likely enjoy Bleeding, as it, again, adheres to the standard formula–but that’s not enough for me. It’s tried and true, but it’s also tired at this point–and the derivative nature of the film frustrates me. 

What works beautifully for Bleeding is the all-encompassing score. The heavy use of string instruments to develop suspense and intensity transcends the entirety of the film, doing all that it can to strengthen the narrative, develop characters, and counter the ineffective dialogue. The only bit of emotion that I ever felt in relation to the film, the only times in which I felt any connection came as a result of the score. The continued use of the same sounds echo throughout Bleeding, playing a pivotal role in why I feel the film will resonate with some viewers. 

Honestly, by the conclusion of the first act, I found Bleeding to be redundant and remedial. It moved slowly through the rest of the story, providing very little in terms of adequate character development, reasonable dialogue, or intriguing visuals. A film plagued by each of those aforementioned qualities (and a truly poor use of light that I haven’t even bothered to elaborate on), Bleeding’s only true redeeming quality is its mesmerizing score. I feel that Bleeding will reach a niche audience, and will appeal to the film lovers that enjoy this unique subgenre of film, but it’s far more likely that Bleeding fails to make a splash and gets lost in the great expanse of cinema. 

Written & Directed by Andrew Bell. 

Starring John R. Howley, Jasper Jones, Andrew Bell, Jay Dunn, Tori Wong, etc. 

4.5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED