Stevarooni

The story here is basically the origin story of an immortal vampire, and how she operates in the modern day. As stories go it isn't incredibly original, but it also isn't played-out, either. The plot could well be behind any number of Hollywood blockbusters.

This isn't quite an indy film, though, it's made by Sick Puppy Pictures. So there's a budget, albeit not huge. The production values aren't amateur. The picture and sound are clear, and the costuming and makeup are effective.

The real weaknesses of this movie are partly in the script and, sadly, partly in some of the cast. The script is elaborate and meanders, as it needs must with such a plot. Unfortunately the dialogue can come off as stilted and uninspired at several points. And the cast is an uneven mix of experienced actors who deliver their lines with precision (if not always passion), and actors who are as stilted as the dialogue. And there is the slight issue of a language barrier; Ange Maya was born in China, and seems to speak her native tongue fluently and with passion. Unfortunately her broken English, though technically correct, is too slow to flow smoothly with the emotions her character is supposed to be experiencing.

On the positive side, there are a lot of good mechanics in film making demonstrated here. Camera work, sound, even the special effects, though cheesy, show promise. A good script paired with this great crew and even the cast of this movie could make for a very good story and delivery. The more salacious positive of this film is the abundance of clearly-posed, well-lit female nudity. It is gratuitous and blatant, but a just compensation for some painfully- awkward dialogue and convoluted plot. I hope that Ange Maya is getting voice lessons, as there are glimpses of competent acting in this film.

This is a slowly-woven story about outsiders in a small Chinese village. People there, as everywhere, are all trying to live their lives. Without giving too much away, the main focus of this story is a young boy who is somewhat an outcast; he's the target of bullying, both because he's an easy scapegoat and because he tries to take shortcuts in life to avoid trouble and to fulfill his desire to watch movies. His unlikely friend is a middle-age man who acts as a body-collector or mortician for the small village, a lonely man who spends much of his days with dead bodies. The boy's careless exploitation of his neighbor ends tragically and meaninglessly.

The actors are believable, and the story solid. The pacing is a bit slower than I'm used to, but despite my thought to fast-forward through some of the slower moments, I didn't, because there was meaning in the characters' contemplation. The slow moments, too, are fairly infrequent.

The signs of Mao's Cultural Revolution are everywhere, as well as a sense of traditional honor strong enough to brook no violation, intentional or unintentional, as violator or victim. The mindset of the villagers, the way they treat those who don't fit in, is novel to my way of thinking. It was educational, and disheartening.