There are plenty of movies about cults, but few provide the immersive experience of sacramental isolation that’s pervasive in both organized religions and fringe sects. Blood Shine is a viscerally penetrative film exploring the deep wounds of the mind and body left by desperation to belong. Starring Emily Bennett (City on a Hill, Shelby Oaks) and co-directed with her husband Justin Brooks in their sophomore feature collaboration after 2021’s psychological nightmare Alone with You, Blood Shine follows a traditional formula but rarely adheres to the path we expect.
The film opens with a sequence that presents a keen twist on the trope of cars breaking down near rural farms at night, but quickly escalates to terrain even Motel Hell wouldn’t tread. Though the sequence culminates with a clean shot to daybreak, there is nothing light about what follows. As a devoted member of a cult who worships light itself, Bennett’s Clara becomes desperately lonely and equally depraved, executing solitary rituals in her upstate New York home. The film is bright, stark, and bloody, with meticulous cinematography exploring and exploiting this aesthetic juxtaposition, supplying a butcher shop feel to a bucolic farm that is probably just waiting to become an Airbnb.
As Clara, Bennett delivers a determined, conflicting, and complex performance that would not have been pulled off by an actress who didn’t also conceive and co-direct the role. She is both innocent and terrifying, to an extent that pushes the boundaries of both character and viewer. Without seeing the film, humor me by imagining a praying mantis joining Heaven’s Gate disguised as a woman. How fun. Not for her counterpart David Call’s (Depraved, Tiny Furniture) Brighton West, however, who thinks he’s off to a quiet writer’s retreat to work on his next film only to find himself in a situation on par with Claire Denis’ Trouble Every Day.
One Brighton arrives, the film is almost entirely driven by Call and Bennett’s performances, but a supporting cast of known faces elevate scenes that would have been less memorable otherwise. Brendan Sexton III’s (Poker Face, Welcome to the Dollhouse) Keith delivers a traumatic and inspired offering in the first scenes, while appearances from indie legends Toby Poser (Hellbender, Mother of Flies) and Larry Fessenden (Habit, Jakob’s Wife) will have you pointing at the screen with the only smile to be had on your face for the duration runtime.
As with the other men both shown and suggested before his arrival in the film, Brighton’s downfall is his misogynistic hubris. There is something immediately odd behind Clara’s beauty and demure behavior that is only thinly veiled to the viewer, but goes completely undetected by her scene partners who feel their size advantage is correlated to their safety. We have all had warnings not to drink the Kool-aid and to never take candy from strangers, but now you can add “never take sun tea from beautiful redheads” to the list.
The symbolism throughout Blood Shine is intentionally broad but enigmatic, and avoids the pitfalls of overexplanation that often trips up religious horror. While many films explore the hivemind experience of cults, Blood Shine sets its eyes on the mania of pure, solitary devotion. Clara is selfless in her worship, ignoring her own human needs for social interaction and pleasure in order to satisfy her beliefs at any cost. We bear witness to her internal struggle through her interactions with each victim from the opening scene through the film’s climax. Bennett and Brooks have proven twice now that they do not let budget dictate the impact of their films. The ideas in Blood Shine feel massive for an indie film (and a second feature at that), but seeing is believing. It hits with a dual-edged experience through the physical gore and the psychological deterioration of both Clara and Brighton in ways that feel disturbingly plausible.
Bookended by two of the most cinematically compelling sequences of the year, the film’s ending is almost therapeutic; there is a chance you may finally feel that knot in your stomach loosen just knowing it’s over. I sat down to watch Blood Shine with some knowledge of the brutality contained within, but discovered the warning to be insufficient preparation. Although I highly recommend seeing it with an audience, be advised this film can cause physical, visceral reactions.
