What We Do In The Shadows

What we do in the shadows

SUMMARY:

Four Vampires sharing a house struggle to survive in a modern world that is not always hospitable to the undead.

Director : Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Written : Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Producer : Taika Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley, Emanuel Michael
Release Dates : 19 January 2014 (Sundance), 15 June 2014 (Sydney), 19 June 2014 (Embassy Theatre, Wellington), 13 February 2015 (United States)
Running Time : 85 minutes

Violence Rating

There are some bloody scenes, one scene shows an attack by werewolves, and a vampire is incinerated by sunlight.
All violence is portrayed for comedic effect

Description

What we do in the shadows reveals the escapades of four vampire roommates whose ages range from a youthfully preserved 183 to an encrusted Nosferatu lookalike of 8,000. They struggle to cope with modern life in a society that is not tolerant or hospitable to members of the exclusive undead club.

Masterpiece

The talented creators of the HBO hit series “Flight of the Conchords”, Clement and Waititi, have co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in this addictively funny masterpiece. We see our four vampire housemates squabble over mundane chores, withness how they struggle to cope with modern technology and learn how they antagonize the local werewolves , just for fun.

Modern Day Vampires

This hillarious film presents a fascinating insight into what it would be like to be a vampire in the modern world. “Nick”, may like to brag about being a real life “Twilight”, but he soon learns that it is not all plain flying when you can no longer enjoy daytime TV, are compelled to adhere to a strict diet that excludes his favourite chips, and struggles to understand the importance of keeping this close knit community a secret from would-be vampire slayers.

This fly on the wall documentary was only possible because the subjects of the film agreed not to eat the camera crew. This contract did not however extend to the remaining vampires, zombies and werewolves who appear throughout.

Characters:

Petyr (Ben Fransham)

The other members of the group defer to Petyr’s seniority as the oldest member of the group. He is 8,000 years old. He’s not big on conversation, but he makes his presence felt when fresh blood comes to visit.

Viago (Taika Waititi)

Viago is uptight, picky and fastidious about trying to ensure household chores are done fairly. At the age of 379 he still pines for the love of his life, the fair Katherine.

Vladislav (Jemaine Clement)

Vladislav is a mature member of this dysfunctional family at the ripe old age of 862. Formerly he was a tyrant with extreme powers and a reputation for torturing people. Sadly since his confrontation with “The Beast”, he has lost much of his powers, but retains enough to entrance dinner guests.

Deacon (Jonathan Brugh)

Deacon is the young scamp of this undead ensemble at a youthful 183. He sees himself as a cool rebel and excels at knitting and erotic dancing.

Jackie Van Beek plays the role of Jackie, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer appears as Nick and Stu Rutherford plays Stu. Rhys Darby appears as Anton, the leader of a local pack of werewolves. Ethel Robinson plays the role of Katherine, who is the love of Viago’s life.

What we do in the shadows Verdict

This movie brilliantly captures the dilemma of being a vampire in modern times. The idea to portray our characters through the view of a mocumentary lense was inspired. A subtle layer of humour is maintained throughout the film as a backdrop to numerous scenarios which are downright hilarious and will have you in stitches. This film is an absolute gem.