Watching the recent Garden Thieves Pictures DVD release of the 2014 dystopian drama "Blood Cells" will equally evoke the "finding America" novels and films of the late '60s and early '70s and the misery of modern life. The dreary British landscape in which most of the action occurs enhances this sense.
The following YouTube clip of the "Cells" pilot includes images the aforementioned wasteland of out post-teenage lead. These brief scenes additionally provide looks of the themes and very apt music in the film.
This well-presented character study begins with dramatic scenes of the 2001 mad cow epidemic that is pivotal to the film. These events prompt our anti-hero Adam to hit the road with no plans of returning.
The catalyst for Adam returning to the scene of his childhood trauma long after his father has passed away but a third party has bought the farm is the impending birth of the child of older brother Aiden. The clear message is "you gotta see the baby" or else.
The less-than-fantastic journey that Adam takes to visit his brother reconnects him with others of his past and further places him in contact with a harsh evangelist. The most dramatic and fascinating encounter is with a former girlfriend, who fully drags Adam into her disreputable lime of work. Like all good cinema, things only go downhill from there.
The power of the film comes from witnessing the impact of the aforementioned epidemic and the subsequent events on Adam. Star Barry Ward does a nice job showing that Adam is drained, melancholy, and lacks surprise on learning of the escalating tragedies in the wake of his absence. In many respects, this makes "Cells" a neo-dystopian version of "It's A Wonderful Life" in which the lead makes his own existence and that of those around him worse.
In that respect, the gray weather and dismal/shabby condition of the places that Adam visits reflect the condition of his outer life and soul. The sad thing is that most of us can relate to such a reality,
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Cells" is welcome to email me. You can also connect on Twitter via
No comments:
Post a Comment