Rating Breakdown:
Story - 0.50 :: Direction - 1.00 :: Pace - 0.75 :: Performances - 0.75 :: Entertainment - 1.00 :::: TOTAL - 4/10
Oh, dear. Bound By Blood (2015), or Bleeding Heart, had potential-a story about two estranged sisters reconnecting should've been rich with drama and emotional heft. Instead, it's a plodding, monochromatic mess that never delivers on its promise.
Jessica Biel plays May, a do-gooder yoga instructor, and Zosia Mamet is Shiva, her rebellious, sex-worker sister. Together, they navigate a bleak reunion full of familial tension and external threats. Sounds gripping, right? Wrong. The script by Diane Bell is so devoid of depth and nuance that the characters barely register as two-dimensional. May is relentlessly passive, and Shiva is little more than a collection of clichés.
Visually, the film fares no better. Awful washed-out filters drain the colour from every scene, leaving the film looking like it's been soaked in dishwater. It's a shame because, occasionally, there's a decent shot buried under all that dreariness.
The pacing is a slog, and the performances feel half-hearted at best. Even Biel, who usually has screen presence, seems hamstrung by the lifeless script. Mamet tries to inject some defiance into Shiva, but the character is so poorly written that it barely registers.
Ultimately, Bound By Blood is a thriller without the thrill, a drama without the drama. It's emotionally flat, visually unappealing, and narratively hollow. There are better films out there-this one isn't worth your time. Save yourself 90 minutes and watch something else.
