Collaborating filmmakers Rob Grant and Mike Kovac receive a tape from an alleged fan mimicking a disturbing scene from their crime comedy Mon Ami.  Rob and Grant, immediately feeling guilty about inspiring a movie goer in the wrong way, reflect on cinematic violence and compare it to real-life acts of assault.  It’s a personal insightful adventure that leads them down an unpredictable rabbit hole.

Docu-thriller Fake Blood is a masterful blend of genres.  The audience truly doesn’t know when the authenticity ends and the embellished story beats begin – it’s mind-boggling with hints of mystery and fear.  I’m uncertain if the film does, in fact, blow its cover with some potentially Photoshopped evidence, but these instances are too quick for movie goers to do a double take.  This is a film that moves fast and efficiently – like a well-trained magician.  Grant and Kovac, aside from their intelligence about movies and their genuine curiosity about a filmmaker’s responsibility, are also charismatic naturals in front of the camera.

Unfortunately, Fake Blood director Grant paints himself into a corner when his premise runs out of gas.  A dangerous “real life” crime hijacks the plot in order for the filmmakers to address a more intense level of deranged activity, but Fake Blood can’t keep up with its new expectations.  It all boils down to an aimless dead end that features the leads literally sitting around, waiting for something to happen.

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Fake Blood screens at the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival on Saturday, November 25 at 4:30 p.m. at Toronto’s The Royal Cinema.

For more information on the festival, visit the official BITS webpage here.

Buy tickets here.

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The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival: @BITSFilmFest
Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie