Bloody Marie (2019) User Reviews

It's alright!

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 27 November 2019]

Marie was once a successful graphic novelist, but now she lives in Amsterdam's red-light district, drinking too much and getting into brawls. However, she has to get her life back on track after one violent encounter.

Bloody Marie was shortlisted as one of the nine films in contention to be the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

Co-directors/writers Lennert Hillege and Guido van Driel have worked in film, but this is their first full length effort.

Marie's last graphic novel Porno For The Blind was such a success that she's still recognized in public. However, all she does now is drink. And drink. And then drink more, to the point that no one will serve her. So she gives her shoes to a neighbor for a drink and then decides to steal them back, along with some money. He blames one of his girls, as he's a pimp, and now Marie is finally responsible for someone else.

If you're expecting an action-packed effort - the advertising leads that way - this isn't it. But it's still well shot and acted.

My Review Of "Bloody Marie"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 7/10 · 7 November 2019]

The film is a blunt character study of a self-destructive life. It is told in a leveled, straightforward way, allowing for the actors and the heart of the story to lay bare, exposed to criticism, and darker emotional investment. "Bloody Marie" is the equivalent of watching a tragedy unfold from a time before impact, during the event, and right on until the debris is swept away. All while bathed in a neon glow.

The story is filled with conflict. Told with so much slow-paced focus on emotions that are uncomfortable to see expressed by characters, while overlaying a sentiment of compassion and relatability. You either recognize and connect with protagonist or you don't. I recognized myself in Marie's persona from the first spastic movements on an empty dancefloor while the daylight leaked in the bar.

The acting is superb. The characters are seedy, tragic and defiant. It is hard to find something likable about these people. You fill mostly sad for the kind of characters they offer. The beauty in that is that Hillege and Driel aren't asking you to, or even apologizing if you don't. It is what it is. This is a dark story of a life spiraling hard and terrifyingly so.

"Bloody Marie" is more thriller movie in its second half. The horror lies in watching a series of horrific choices and bad events push the main character into the next horrific situation. It gets tense and dark. The cinematography is excellent, and the music score and atmosphere really amplify the story.

This isn't a film for anyone looking for extreme expressions of violence or blood. It stays more dramatic and psychological. The thriller elements and action movie with a similar pace and energy that the film starts with. The suspense builds some but nothing comparable to standard horror or traditional thrills. It is a well crafted art film that is dark and human.