Fantastic Fest 2024: ‘Touched by Eternity’ fails to draw blood

Creatures of the night, vampires are as old as horror itself. Over the decades, lore has shifted and been rearranged countless times – from Nosferatu and Dracula to indies like Bliss and Bit. In his brand new feature, director Mārcis Lācis satirizes midnight bloodsuckers through a tale about loneliness, sloth, and desperation to live forever. Touched by Eternity documents one man’s quest to become immortal, fusing a character study in desolation and the sturdy mechanics of a typical vampiric story. While the conceit is an interesting one, the film lacks bite and fails to draw even a drop of blood.

Andris Keiss plays Resnais (or “Fatso,” as he’s often referred to), a frazzle-haired loner who becomes obsessed with immortality. When we first meet him, he’s watching a podcast show featuring two scientists who alleged that yeast might be the key to unlocking eternal life. Resnais believes it so deeply, he orders boxes of raw yeast and eats it like cookie dough. Despite warnings that it could be deadly, he believes the payoff would be worth it. He sees no effects from eating such a high dosage of yeast, but the courier (Armands Bergis) does. After dropping off the package, he asks to partake and practically swallows a cube whole. In a matter of moments, he tumbles to the ground with foam pouring out of his mouth. Resnais looks on, aghast.

That’s only the beginning of his predicament. Later that evening, two dashing, gel-lovin’ gentlemen arrive on his doorstep and request to be allowed inside. Unwittingly, Resnais invites two vampires into his trailer home. Egons (Ivars Krasts) and Karloss (Edgars Samitis) serve as messengers for a nearby brood, which has somehow tracked down Resnais to become The Chosen One.

What that means isn’t exactly clear – but they desire to have them join their ranks and obey to their chancellor’s every whim. You see, they believe he has completely wasted his life and deserves a “second chance.” Egons and Karloss already know that Resnais desires immortality, so their proposition makes total sense. But Resnais questions whether he wants to leave his humanity behind and begin a new kind of existence. Time is ticking after he receives an invitation to join the clutch of vampires at a secluded barn where they hope to perform a secret ritual… and then throw a rave.

Touched by Eternity is an unfortunate case of “it looks good on paper,” but the film lacks real bite. Once Egons and Karloss appear, it meanders with little purpose or drive. Cool pieces lie on the table but fail to come together to form a coherent picture of loneliness and the dire nature of human existence. What begins as a super fascinating premise ends with barely a whimper, leaving the viewer questioning the intent and messaging buried somewhere inside the film.

Marcis Abele ably injects the story with supple cinematography, sufficient enough to at least keep attention keyed into the screen. Angles and framing give the picture a particular visual flair, even if it is wasted on a story that flounders between intriguing and dull. Touched by Eternity doesn’t do anything striking with vampire lore; there are no tricks or treats tucked inside the vampires’ sleeves, and the evolution of Resnais leaves much to be desired.

While the performances are strong across the board, from Keiss’ detached turn to Krasts’ sexy-cool vampire, there’s little else to keep Touched by Eternity afloat. Sadly, it just treads water for 90+ minutes and nothing else.

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