Swap – review

Director: Dallas King

Release date: 2024

Contains spoilers

With a tagline of “Fifty Shades of Red”, one knows what we’re going to get from this and, whilst it is not hardcore, folks going in need to realise what they’re going to get and make their viewing choice based on that. Now, overall, this was competent but what I was left with was a question as to “why vampires?” It is not as though the vampirism isn’t front and central, it is, and there is an aspect of the ending that relies on the genre but the same film could have been made as a sex/jealousy story without vampires and not really changed the broad direction. Part of the issue is that things were left unsaid.

Kayla and Rad

So, it starts with sex, touching and becoming more passionate as the scene goes on. The couple are Kayla (Jessica Lelia Greene) and Rad (James Eastwood). Towards the end she chokes him and he reacts badly to it, having to make her stop. This underlines an issue in their relationship, one that is doubled down on when she talks about exploring, not getting stale, threesomes and another couple. He makes it very clear he does not want that (and considers it cheating).

Rad and Kayla

What we discover later is that he is a cop – there is mention of an investigation and so we get the idea that there is something going on with his career but the film does not expand or follow up on this. His reaction sours things and he goes for a shower, when he gets out she is doing naked yoga, but although his mood improves, she reminds him they are leaving in 30 minutes… Leaving is to go and visit her best friend Glory (Erin Anne Gray) and her new fiancé (3rd one) Angelo (Dallas King). When they get there, there is no answer at the front door.

shadow of wings

They go round the back, find an open sliding door and go in. There is sex noise, and they spy Glory and Angelo having vigorous sex at a pool table. At times she calls him “Daddy” at others she says “no”. They move away, though Rad is slow to (playing into the accusation of him being a voyeur later and though he suggests he nearly intervened at hearing her objections, dismissed by her as role play, it does seem he merely watches). We notice that Angelo (at least) has noticed but ignored them and, when out of Rad’s view, his shadow sprouts wings (there isn’t much done with shadows through the remaining film). So, what’s going on…

turning Kayla

Glory and Kayla used to be wild together and have been lovers as well as friends. Glory met Angelo at a swinger’s party and he has turned her. They want to turn the couple – but vampirism is not mentioned at first, just sex. Rad is not into that scene. Indeed after dinner the first night, in the pool as things becomes heated, he ends up punching Angelo. The ensuing argument between Rad and Kayla does not include him reminding her that he explicitly stated, that very morning, that he was not willing to contemplate group sex. That night Glory turns Kayla (consensually, though one questions just how much she understood what she consented to) this involves drinking Angelo’s blood from a bottle and a very well-done bite scene.

sunlight is no issue

So, vampires. They can go out in daylight and say they rarely drain but do, occasionally, drink blood. They actually feed on pleasure and Angelo states that they are not vampires, rather the source of the legend, and calls their “race” hedons – as in hedonists. Now here is where things needed expanded on – a bite turns (draining kills) but it is apparent that drinking a hedon’s blood is needed too. It is also apparent that the intention is that Angelo will die, passing on his knowledge and memories to Rad (or if the gift is refused he’ll drain Rad and get another 100 years of life, suggesting a direct need for blood as well as energy derived from hedonistic pleasure). The blurb suggests that Angelo is 500 but the dialogue suggests 4000. Why does he want to die? The dialogue doesn’t tell us and this is where the film fails…

hedon's eyes

I was left not knowing why Angelo wishes to pass the gift on and die and his manner does not suggest anything. He admits to having watched Rad and Kayla for two months and Glory is unsure of Rad’s suitability. Angelo says his relative innocence means the gift will mean more (ropey reasoning) but I find it difficult to see why Angelo thinks this uptight cop would want to turn/change his sexual preferences. I find it even more difficult to see why a 4000-year-old being would think 2-months observation and a couple of day’s interaction would be enough to deem him suitable. Overall the vampire story needed way much more expansion – the paper thin detail makes it feel tacked on even though the ending relies on it. There are style over substance moments, such as the rippling glass of a touched mirror once Angelo’s blood has been drunk, with no reason why but panache.

fangs

The photography worked, the performances were ok (though as writer/director/performer it appears as much fantasy fulfilment as film making on King’s part) but we needed more depth and that includes character depth as well as vampirism backstory depth. Why, for instance, was Rad so nonchalant at Angelo using cocaine (yes cops might turn a blind eye, but would he – we don’t know but his uptight nature suggests he wouldn't). Overall the vampirism could have been stripped out and a semi-erotic flick about sexual experimentation would have been much the same film. 4 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

On Demand @ Amazon US

On Demand @ Amazon UK