Tags:
Film: Kiss of the Damned
Year: 2012
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Writer: Xan Cassavetes
Starring: Joséphine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia and Roxane Mesquida
Review:
This film begins with a woman watching a movie on a laptop computer; she is played by Joséphine de La Baume. We then see her outside with blood all over her face.
The film then shifts to the following morning. The cleaning lady for the house enters and she is played by Ching Valdes-Aran. There is a small pool of dark liquid on the tile. She stops and wipes it up. There is a phone call that she answers, but tells them that the person they are trying to reach is unavailable.
Baume gets up and finds a note from Valdes-Aran telling her that her movies are due back tonight. She goes to the store, drops them off and looks for more. A man enters the video store; he is played by Milo Ventimiglia. When Baume sees him, she flees. He follows her out.
They decide to have a drink together and they have chemistry from the beginning. He is a screenwriter that is in the area to finish his screenplay. She reveals to him that she has a skin condition where she cannot go into the sunlight. She invites him back and they watch a movie together. They then move into the kitchen where they kiss. They start to get hot and heavy, but she stops this and forces him to leave. He tells her he will call her the next day, but she tells him not to.
He tries all day and night to get in touch with her, but she ignores him. He goes out the same place they got drinks at and he gets hit on by the bartender. He decides to go to Baume’s house. We see that she is attracted to him as they kiss through the door with the chain secured. She ends up biting his tongue and then telling him to go.
The next night he calls her and tells her that he is coming over. She allows this and when he is there, she reveals to him that she is a vampire. She chains herself to the bed to show him that she is serious. He is turned on by her, even after she changes. He releases her and they begin to make love. In the heat of ecstasy, she bites his neck.
Now that he is a vampire, she begins to get him acclimated to the new lifestyle. They do not drink the blood of humans, but of animals. This is mostly in part so they do not get discovered. The problem is Baume’s sister shows up soon after, she is played by Roxane Mesquida. We learn that she causes problems everywhere she goes and she is fleeing from her previous place because of this. The two sisters do not get along.
We learn that there is a vampire society and the one who runs the area is played by Anna Mouglalis. Baume calls her to tell her about Mesquida and we learn that she already knew. Mesquida was telling the truth that she would only be there for a week until her ‘rehab’ in Phoenix is ready for her.
Mesquida and Baume use binoculars and watch people outside. Mesquida uses this time to scold her older sister for turning Ventimiglia, telling her that she has cursed him. That night Mesquida goes out to a bar where she finds a guy she finds cute. They make love outside and she bites his neck, killing him.
As Ventimiglia is introduced more into the society and meets other vampires, Mesquida begins to wreck even more havoc in the area. Baume tries to tell Mouglalis, but she doesn’t believe her, especially with no proof. She gets a rude awakening soon after. It should also be mentioned that Ventimiglia’s agent is played by Michael Rapaport and he comes to visit to check on the progress of the screenplay. He doesn’t make it out alive.
Will Mouglalis believe Baume before it is too late? How far will Mesquida go? Will she ruin everyone and everything before she is stopped? Can she be stopped?
I have to say that I came into this one with low expectations and actually ended up liking it. I love that this is a tragic love story of vampires. I think a lot of films and vampire things in general make them out to be such elegant creatures with a dark side. This film really brings out that they are cursed and despite the appearance they give, they are actually kind of miserable. I love Mesquida’s character in this. She just seems to know how to get away with everything and just takes their perfect world and ruins in such a short time. She and Baume were very nice to look at as well, with both being nude at one point or another.
This film does have its issues. My biggest though was with Mesquida and what happens to her at the end. It ends up being kind of funny, but I thought it was kind of a weak punishment. In retrospect, it does go along with the film and it does make it easier to deal with. The film is also not that exciting. It focuses primarily on the love story between Baume and Ventimiglia as well as the destructive lifestyle of Mesquida. Baume really doesn’t have much of a character arch either.
With that said, I would actually recommend giving this film a viewing if you are fan of vampire films. It doesn’t have the greatest cast, but I think they all do a fine job in their roles. The story is a little bit lacking, but I will say that I love Mesquida and what she does. This is a lower budget film, but it doesn’t really have that feel. Don’t come in expecting a lot and just enjoy this one, I think you will have a similar reaction to me if you are into these types of films.
My Rating: 6 out of 10