So Vam – review

Director: Alice Maio Mackay

Release date: 2021

Contains spoilers

There is, in my opinion, a real need for more modern queer explorations of the vampire. Now, there has always been a queer aspect to the genre but it was often explored through a straight male gaze. The opportunity for queer voices to be heard, and an authentically queer lens to be applied is to be applauded.

Unfortunately, this is not the vehicle and I say that realising that I might be accused of being, and also feeling, somewhat churlish. After all co-writer and director Alice Maio Mackay was sixteen when this was shot – quite an achievement and certainly not something I could do now (or at a young age). However, it does not mean that the resultant film is of the best quality.

Xai as Kurt

The film starts (after a trigger warning) by following Kurt (Xai) as he (and I have assumed the character's gender identity when not in drag and will be happy to stand corrected) rides his bike through the streets and listens to a tape, the speaker on which quotes Hepburn and dreams of the stage and, particularly, the drag act. Eventually he passes a group of drinkers and is harassed and then physically beaten by the lads – it is a homophobic attack. The attack stops when two women come at the drinkers after helping him to his feet.

impressive routine

At school Kurt is not listening as he designs a dress. One guy throws paper at him and it says “die homo”. Later, at the lockers, he is harassed and attacked by a group of girls until Katie (Erin Paterson) intervenes. She is Kurt’s best friend. Later, watching TV, they talk and he dreams of getting out of the town under the steam of stardom and his drag act. They go out to the local drag club (we see behind the scenes a couple of the performers talking and deciding to give Kurt a go after his – unseen – try out). There is one full routine shown (and it was a rather impressive performance to be fair). Kurt seemed to have drawn attention of other audience members.

April in the comic shop

Visiting a comic book store they discover Kurt’s cousin reading Dracula, and she mentions that she read it at school but is now reading it for herself. A woman, April (Grace Hyland), who they don’t know interjects and the factoids offered were… mostly not quite right. Firstly, she suggests that before Dracula vampires were depicted as the aristocracy – well to be fair in Dracula that is the same (what with him being a Count and all). Then she suggests Stoker was queer – which he may well have been - but then suggests that as the Count is based on his employer (Irving, of course) the castle scene of the Englishman trapped in the castle was a queer fantasy… but Stoker, of course, was Irish so making the connection based on nationality seems hinky. Kurt thinks he recognises her from the bar at the beginning of the film (one of the rescuers) but she denies this.

with Landon

The film therefore has Kurt as a harassed character and, when we meet his dad we discover that (although he accepts his son for who he is) his heteronormative brother is the favoured son despite being accused of raping a girl. He argues with dad and runs off to speak to Katie. Katie is busy working and so he is taken off to a bar by a stranger, Landon (Chris Asimos), who is a vampire and attacks him. He is rescued by April and her friend Harley (Iris Mcerlean) but they think it is too late. She makes Kurt sleep but rather than die he does turn. His rescuers are vampires also but unlike Landon, who preys on the bullied, they attack those who they deem deserve it – such as gay conversion practitioners at a “Pray away the gay” camp or a Nazi.

vamp face

So, the issues... well the lore is unusual but perhaps at least one aspect is underutilised. So, looking in the mirror when he turns, Kurt has a vamp face (just sort of lined) and is told to concentrate on his normal face and the reflection becomes normal. They give this a name (which I couldn’t catch and the subtitles just said “indistinct”) but then don’t use it within the plot, they are fine with daylight (just needing to wear sunglasses) and their victims go “gooey” – melting when they are killed – the effect being poor. They can blank (some) minds, hypnotise and turn people into ghouls (rotting from the inside).

a victim goes gooey

The actual really big issue is that the acting is far from good – and this is pretty universal. It sounds like a recital or first read through rather than actual acting and this is really distracting. The dialogue is a tad juvenile also. The shame is that the film is touching on issues that are important – especially around the harassment of LGBTQ folk, the violence they can face and, through the vampire metaphor, the self-harm they can be driven to. Unfortunately, however, this is not the vehicle. If you want a vampire film around such things, I’d suggest Bit for a trans narrative or Death Drop Gorgeous for a film that features drag. 3 out of 10

The imdb page is here.

On Demand @ Amazon US

On Demand @ Shiver via Amazon UK