‘White Blood’ VOD Review
Stars: Arielle Cartwright, Liam Walker | Written and Directed by Richard Williams
Making his feature debut, writer/director Richard Williams opens White Blood with nostalgia-tinged scenes of a loving couple in the style of grainy video recordings. It captures the idea of wanting to hold onto past memories, yet this is a momentary comfort as real-life pains intrude when Betty (Arielle Cartwright) receives a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Arriving at a rented house, Betty and her partner, Mark (Liam Walker), intend to spend their last few days happy on their honeymoon before carrying out a suicide pact. As the planned date draws closer, tensions rise as the reality of their actions dawns upon the pair.
What unfolds is a character-focused piece where the two leads are faced with the fragility of human life, and how it causes them to react. Mark is clearly horrified by the idea of losing his beloved and, not wanting to live without her, pushes for this suicide pact. Betty is less sure of the plan, yet struggles to get her words out while her partner is so determined to fulfil this plan. What worsens things are past revelations coming to light, making it clear to Betty that Mark is not the man she thought he was, and she struggles to trust him.
The pieces are there for a touching work about all-encompassing grief and loss, yet the execution unfortunately feels fumbled. While attempts are made to point out how Betty is shred of any agency regarding a choice that should be hers, it is done while leaving the character without a voice of her own for much of the film.
Credit is deserved for Cartwright in how her performance captures the uncertainty, yet it feels like the film falling into a trap of its own making. What does not help is how the film appears too forgiving about Mark’s volatile behaviour, seemingly using his sadness as an excuse for violence. Despite the short runtime, White Blood is a slog and a struggle to recommend.
* 1/5
White Blood is now available to stream globally on Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime Video and Vimeo On Demand from Bounty Films.
