What better way to celebrate the coming together of family this Thanksgiving? Though, I doubt that is what Francis (Noah Segan) expected as he goes on about his solitary life as a vampire, traveling on the road when he realizes that he’s being tailed by a young but equally fast-talking smart-ass named Jane (Victoria Moroles) who turns out to be his daughter from an old fling who recently passed. She’s followed him for weeks, hoping to find him, and “figure her shit out,” and she has no intention of leaving his side, much to his dismay. Oh, and she also happens to be a vampire.
Blood Relatives is Noah Segan’s directorial debut, and it’s the kind you’d more or less expect coming from someone who has already made a career in acting. It’s a road movie, mostly a two-hander between Francis and Jane as they both come to terms with what they both want out of life, and the push-and-pull that often occurs as their immediate desires conflict with each other. It’s very much a performance driven film, and on that level, the two do a wonderful job bouncing off each other in a way that feels authentic, despite the whole vampire context.
Francis has mostly lived his vampire life totally care-free, and without much in terms of personal responsibility, aside from taking care of his old car every few weeks. Jane coming into his late so abruptly forces him to come to terms that he might need to put his priorities in check, especially now that he has someone that needs to be taken care of, and of course, be taught the ropes on how to be a vampire, manage all the logistics of the lifestyle. And you know, dealing with the occasional murder here and there. Very relatable stuff.
As you may have guessed, the film operates with a sly sense of humor, mostly driven from the almost screwball-esque banter between Francis and Jane, and the various encounters they have with quirky characters during their time together. I wouldn’t describe it as a knee-slapper, but the jokes are pretty consistently amusing, and they’re all rooted in characters that have dimension beyond the surface level joke and archetype they are presented as, allowing the emotional stakes to feel grounded and believable. It avoids going too broad, playing things in a more subdued and low-key way than you might initially expect it would.
The filmmaking is fairly solid, especially from someone making their debut. The cinematography from Andrew Scott Baird imbues the film with the occasional soft neon glows, the night time camera work and lighting is pretty strong throughout. I also found the music from composer, Robert Allaire, added some nice flair, drawing from a style that is pulled from Francis’ Jewish roots. If there was something to nitpick, the ending does feel very sudden, and the whole third act as a whole feels like it was rushing through a lot of beats as opposed to the natural progression that the previous two acts felt.
Blood Relatives is a very solid directorial debut, but one that very much feels like a debut. I do think Noah Segan does have potential to make something truly great if this is something he were to continue pursuing. He has a strong grasp of character, and I enjoy the way he is able to combine with his sense of humor within the genre trappings. It’s a cute movie, a very likable and charming movie, and one that leaves you feeling nice and warm once it’s all over, pretty much everything you wouldn’t expect from a movie about vampires, but it works. I was invested in the characters, and and their relationship, and I looked forward to see where they will go. And for the most part, the film delivers on exploring the complexities of parenthood, particularly single parenthood, and in a way that was fun and distinct. I look forward to seeing whatever Segan does behind the camera next.
Blood Relatives will begin streaming on Shudder on November 22nd.