Does the title of Mārcis Lācis monstrous entry to Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival refer to the feeling that this crass comedy goes on forever?
Millions long for immortality who don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Pretty words but not those of Mārcis Lācis whose third feature film purports to infuse the Baltic Competition Of Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival with a touch of horror and humour. By what means or rather characters seems obvious when looking forward to the release date of Robert Egger’s long gestating Nosferatu remake and back on the spectacular success of Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows which became a festival favourite at among others Sundance, Berlinale and Stiges. Spains renowned haven for fantastic films also saw the premiere of the bloodsucker bash.
The same is the trashy tale of an anonymous protagonist who, according to his own words, is called by everyone Fatso (Andris Keišs) and constantly wears a bathrobe. Apparently a reference to The Big Lebowski which reveals how serious the director actually takes himself and his work behind the self-ironic surface. Fatso eats packages full of raw yeast which, as a radio show Fatso listens to claims, contains molecules of eternity but can also be deadly. How deadly indeed is promptly revealed as the delivery man apparently ODs on yeast. Apparently, since his real demise comes a little later by the teeth of two visiting vampires.
Egons (Ivars Krasts) and Carlos (Edgars Samītis) are implied to be a gay couple and define themselves as pansexual, the go-ahead for a never-ending array of queerphobic jokes. As if to make clear that these are intentional, Lācis also crams the skeletal story with aggressive misogyny, ableism and xenophobia. The only non-Latvians appear in the clique of vicious vampires and the plain fact that someone speaks another language is somehow supposed to be laughable. If they don’t install Fatso as their “chosen one”, the vampires wearing black shiny coats and costumes between Matrix, metal and SM dance in slow motion and roller-skate. None of this makes sense.
Much worse: It isn’t even vaguely or accidentally funny. Apart from deriding discriminated social groups, the “humour” is supposed to come from flatly delivered generic gags that have been played to death in better films (then again, almost anything is better). The acting is bland and listless which one can’t blame the cast for, considering the crude story rotating among three locations. At least the opening quote by Susan Ertz is appropriate, above all the part not repeated onscreen: Boredom comes simply from ignorance and lack of imagination. Especially if the ignorance is revealed in bigoted bias and the lack of imagination materialises a film.
- OT: Mūžības skartie
- Director: Mārcis Lācis
- Screenplay: Mārcis Lācis
- Year: 2024
- Distribution | Production © Media Move
