Vampires officially crossed into the mainstream long ago. The world premiere of Bite Me at Cinequest only reaffirms the popularity of the genre; however, Bite Me offers a twist (Transylvanian?).
The story follows Sarah, part of a subculture in New York City that identifies themselves as vampires. They believe they need to drink blood to stay healthy. Sarah meets James, an IRS agent who has the unenviable task of auditing Sarah’s “Vampire Church.” The two seem completely opposite, though both are divorced and still having a hard time assimilating to their paths in life. While an unlikely pairing, a bond clearly connects the two. James has to keep his relationship a secret so as to not appear biased in his job, but he is torn when he fears his ruling will hurt Sarah.
Sarah, who hasn’t been in a relationship since her divorce, has finally let her vampires friends and roommates (and members of her church) meet James, who immediately view him as the outsider and the enemy. In a way, they marginalize him the way society marginalizes vampires as different.
First time director Meredith Edwards works with a subtlety that lets the story unfold in such a genuine way that you can’t help but root for Sarah and James. Star and screenwriter Naomi McDougall Jones shares a ton of the credit for a film which I can only hope that finds a wider audience in the future, as this is a gem that deserves to be found.
The film already has several screenings set up throughout the United States in 2019, but support and more information can be found at https://www.bitemethefilm.com. For further information about screenings at Cinequest, click here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE1M2TSq2Ok
