Bloodshed

Bloodshed, written and directed by Paolo Mancini and Daniel Watchorn, begins with Getty (Bruno Verdoni) narrating why he needs blood transfusions. As he opines about getting rid of the bad blood and replacing it with the good, the editing gives audiences a tour of the shed in which he does this homemade medical procedure. The more Getty describes the compulsion to put new blood into his body, the more the audience becomes intrigued as to why he needs to do this.

Did an apocalypse happen and must replace his irradiated blood with clean blood? Was Getty bitten by a vampire or werewolf? The reason is eventually revealed, but describing it would be a spoiler. But I will say that it ends with a sucker punch of an ending that is jaw-droppingly brilliant.

“…[Getty] opines about getting rid of the bad blood and replacing it with the good…”

Bloodshed is a twelve-minute exercise in sustained tension and pure dread. The filmmakers ably maintain the mystery of why Getty needs the transfusions with the horror of how the shed looks. It is a remarkable feat that creates a nail-biting, edge of your seat horror-thriller that needs to be seen as soon as possible.

While there are three characters overall, some 90% of the movie is a one-person show, and Bruno Verdoni is up to the challenge. While he is not always seen, as the filmmakers employ a very Robert Rodriguez-esque style, he commands every square inch of the screen with just his intense, mesmerizing voice-over. It is a stunningly heartbreaking and horrifying performance that is easily one of the best of the year.

In fact, Bloodshed is one of the best shorts of the year. It is beautifully lensed, immaculately edited, and perfectly acting. All those achievements are in service of a suspenseful, creepy narrative with a fantastic ending. It is an absolute must-watch as soon as possible.