USA
2019 80 mins OV English
“[A] sleazy, gory, full-speed-ahead acid-trip of a movie with a 16mm sheen and reckless punk vibe”
- Blake Crane, FILM PULSE“A gruesomely hypnotic take on vampire lore, Bliss also perfectly encapsulates the Los Angeles experience for struggling creatives”
- Heather Wixson, DAILY DEAD“This punk-as-fuck vampire hallucination cranks the dial on artistic aggression and bathes in exploitation bloodlust to a soundtrack of pure clash-rock anarchy”
- Matt Donato, DREAD CENTRALGrab your sunglasses, sharpen your fangs, crank the music and hold on tight, because
BLISS will be feasting on Fantasia this summer! Dora Madison (
DEXTER,
THE LOFT) plays Dezzy, a talented young artist struggling with sobriety and a bad case of creative paralysis. But when a wild night with her friend Courtney (played by Tru Collins) spirals out of control, Dezzy wakes up changed. Now fuelled by insatiable hunger, Dezzy franticly chews — sometimes literally — through the underbelly of L.A. looking for answers. With her world spiraling out of control, she turns to her longtime dealer and friend Hadrian (played by festival favourite and regular Begos collaborator Graham Skipper of
BEYOND THE GATES) to help curb her yearnings. She quickly realizes the fix she needs is not chemical but biological, and she dives headfirst to a neon-lit world of loud music, dark shadows and blood!
Joe Begos (
ALMOST HUMAN,
THE MIND’S EYE), is a master of reworking his favourite genres but with
BLISS, he takes his art one step further. Shot on 16mm, this rich, gritty and gratuitous film explores the dark side of art and creation, questioning its relationship with addiction and drugs. Armed to the teeth visually and as raw as it is stylistically rich,
BLISS pushes the envelope of vampiric lore, trading capes and coffins for depraved, frantic mania and animalistic eruptions of violence. Dora Madison gives a powerhouse performance storming the L.A. underground as a visceral, vehement powder keg. So take your vitamins, hide your crosses and strap in, because
BLISS will be a ride you will not soon forget!
– Justin Langlois
