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Bloodstained Romance (2009)
Starring Chris Burchette & Cameron Wright
Directed by Travis B. Miller
Written by Travis B. Miller
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Right up front I will be honest in the declaration that I am a follower of independent cinema. I prefer the efforts of an artist that does not have an untold amount of someone else's money behind them. Art should come from inside its creator as opposed to the coffers of an uncaring overseer that is interested only in the return. This having been stated up front let me tell you about one of the most interesting looks into the mind of a disturbed individual I think I have ever seen.
Travis B. Miller is someone I intend upon keeping an eye on, the average debut directorial effort is usually shaky and fumbling. Like a baby learning to walk, crawling must be achieved first in order to develop the basic motor skills required to then attempt standing. Director Miller is an exception to that rule and has skipped the awkwardness that most first timers go through. Starting with a simple premise and building upon it he has elevated this tale of a deeply disturbed young man to a level that many much more experienced directors would have fumbled into a quagmire of torture porn depravity that lacked the substance to stand.
He has achieved this with a solid, very well written script which studiously avoids the cliches of the genre. The violence is brutal, but not staged; instead it is shocking in a way that makes the viewer feel almost complicit. By handling it this way it comes off as much more authentic instead of a contrived murder set piece. This is a well put together character study that calmly takes viewers for a carnival ride through the hell of a broken mind.
After getting his story ducks in a row Miller cast his piece with some untested, but seriously gifted amateur thespians. The two leads come off very natural, never over acting but rather simply appearing comfortable in their skins. Many times in films this micro budgeted, acting abilities are passed over in favor of simply having a warm body to say the lines. This stories success relies on the abilities of Chris Burchette and Cameron Wright to shoulder the burden. Both tow the line and stand strong in the face of the deadly serious material they have been put to task carrying.
I don't know what's going on here but
the picture was titled 'castparty006'.
Looks like a good party.
Holden (Chris Burchette) is a shy college student who suffers from a lack of confidence when talking to the opposite sex. He desperately wants to begin a dialogue with Sadie (Cameron Wright) but can't seem to work up the nerve to approach her. In his desperation he begins to stalk her and watch her every move. As the days pass his obsession becomes stronger and more perverse as he struggles with his own inadequacies. Lying to avoid being caught in his activities soon devolves into violence in order to cover his tracks. Holden has crossed the line as a means to an end and there can only be one outcome.
Bloodstained Romance is like an onion of perversions as each layer of Holden's psychosis is exposed, revealing more and more of the tortured deviant at its center. Director Miller pulls this off with deliberate pacing that puts the viewer beside Holden as he carries out each descending step into the hell he is creating for himself. Innocent crush becomes the platform for murder as Holden's grasp of reality begins to slip. This is the type of film that makes you talk to the screen as you become engrossed in the proceedings. At first you feel sorry for Holden and the cruel injustice of social awkwardness, and then as the layers are lifted you see the ugly white underbelly of a madman being exposed. Suddenly the focus shifts and all you want is for Sadie to get away before it is too late.
This film is so much more than the awkward berthing of a potential artist, it is art already. Miller's own DP work on the film exposes a well developed technician constantly on a learning curve towards improving his skills. Many first timers suffer from pacing problems, camera work, and editing, which can drag a decent story right into the dumper. Mr. Miller himself handles all of these duties and in so doing reveals a well developed talent that will only improve with time.
This film was quite obviously a labor of love for not just its writer/director but for all of those involved. The attention to detail and inventiveness on display are the marks of serious craftspeople striving to achieve a level of quality far above the norm. As I stated I am partial to artists creating out of pocket because it shows the initiative to create as opposed to simply manufacturing. Real art will find a way, just as life itself will. Travis B. Miller is a filmmaker and we will be hearing from him again!
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