Bite Me
Director: Meredith Edwards
Writer: Naomi McDougall Jones
Cast: Naomi McDougall Jones, Christian Coulson, Annie Golden, Naomi Grossman, Harold Surratt, Mahira Kakkar, Cynthia Mace, Katherine Kahrs, Aurelio Voltaire
Seen on: 2.6.2019
Plot:
Sarah (Naomi McDougall Jones) is part of a vampire group who believe that they need to feed on energy and/or drink blood to stay healthy. Officially, their group is registered as a church, and thus they are subject to tax audits. James (Christian Coulson) is the IRS agent assigned the task. As he tries to figure out whether the vampires actually are a church, James finds himself drawn to Sarah despite their polar opposite appearances – and vice versa.
Bite Me is an absolutely charming indie comedy that was emotionally engaging, fun and off-beat – embracing weirdness instead of tacking it on as a quirk. I really enjoyed it.
Bite Me obviously had no budget to speak of, but they make their best of the lacking budget. With good concept, script and performances, their best really is quite excellent. At the heart of the film are James and Sarah, and they were incredibly easy to root for. Their is a vulnerability to both of them that grounds the film’s emotions.
The film is also funny – especially Harold Surratt’s Tim – but I never felt like it was mean-spirited or ridiculed the vampires. Well, maybe a few of their antics did get laughs. But it really set out to understand what they are about and to show that in the film.
That is possible because the vampires aren’t the only weirdos in the film. James is a weirdo, too. In fact, everybody in the film is a weirdo. And their weirdness is what makes them loveable, it’s not just a quirk to make them interesting, it’s who they are and why we like them. And you bet your ass, it’s not about changing them, but about embracing themselves and each other just as they are.
It’s a wonderfully sweet, funny RomCom of the kind I’d like to see more of. I hope I will.
Summarizing: a charmer.
