Fantasia Fest 2020: ‘Bleed with Me’ depicts a chilling tale of obsession

As we’ve seen with such films as The Lodge, there is still plenty of fresh ground to drill when it comes to secluded cabins in the woods. In similar fashion, Amelia Moses’ directorial debut Bleed with Me (playing this year’s Fantasia Fest) situates itself amidst the bitter cold of not only winter but the darkest caverns of the human mind. Through a lean 79-minute runtime, Moses squeezes themes of compulsion, Single White Female syndrome, and suffering totally dry with a tight script and freakish paranoia.

Bleed with Me follows Rowan (played by Lee Marshall), whose strange, self-destructive behavior becomes the film’s rich backbone. Rowan’s previous history of self-harm, in the form of cutting, resurges to supply the film a troubling and emotional root. Her physical scars aren’t the only ones that rear their ugly heads again either, and as Rowan desperately seeks the affection and companionship of Emily (Lauren Beatty), she combats an inner struggle not to fall back into vicious, agonizing cycles. Invited along for a weekend getaway to a secluded cabin, Rowan vies for Emily’s attention, unwittingly competing against Emily’s hipster boyfriend Brendan (Aris Tyros). Often relegated to third-wheel status, Rowan suffers for her love of Emily, whose passive-aggressive manipulation casts the entire narrative into psychological frenzy.

With Rowan, you never quite know if you’re dealing with an unreliable narrator or someone so stricken with mental health that their entire worldview is forever skewed. As winter grows ever frigid, she is visited each night by an indistinct, malevolent force; Moses purposely blurs the camera frames, a perfect creative choice that saws into the viewer’s brain. Each morning, Rowan awakens to freshly bleeding cuts on her arms, tracked right into her scars ⏤ underscoring an intense thread line that perceptions may or may not be everything. Moses plays cat and mouse with the viewer, provoking you to think one way before taking a hard, steep left turn.

Bleed with Me burns down the storytelling wick in true slow-burn fashion. As Rowan grows sicker and weaker, Emily unwaveringly attends to her bedside, offering sustenance and companionship, and Brendan seems noticeably unconcerned and detached. Work soon calls him back to town, leaving Emily and Rowan together at long last. Rowan continues spiraling out, and Emily continues in her compulsive, dominating role.

It’s very unfortunate then that the third abruptly fizzes out. The climax, when Rowan finally understands what’s going on, fumbles to the finish line. And what should have been a greatly satisfying conclusion is left hanging with an abrupt curtain call. That’s not to say Amelia Moses doesn’t bring some excellent filmmaking to the table. Bleed with Me maneuvers with utterly fantastic style, dripping with suffocating dread and atmosphere, and performances across the board. Ultimately, it has just enough bite to leave its own imprint upon your flesh.

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