Hello there fellow nomads of the necromantic, it’s Thakgore and today I bring you a review of the coming of age vampire film “The Transfiguration”. I can tell you that I wasn’t prepared for the experience I would have with this film and the themes and overall story will definitely stay with me for a while. It is a tremendous piece that may just alter the way you look at horror as a medium. So sit back and let’s take a look at what changes come with….
Written and directed by Michael O’Shea, “The Transfiguration” is about Milo (Eric Ruffin), a lonely young man living in a bad part of New York City. Milo lives with his older brother Lewis (Aaron Moten), a war vet, and is obsessed with vampires. So obsessed, in fact, that he believes he is slowly changing into one. After a girl, Sophie (Chloe Levine), moves into his building and befriends him, Milo’s views on the world and his place within it begin to shift.
The most obvious influences at work within the film are George Romero’s 1977 vampire masterpiece “Martin” and 2008’s “Let the Right One In”. If fact, Milo even references both of these films as two of his favorite vampire movies due to their “realism”. “The Transfiguration”, however, is not some rote copy of better films before it but instead stands shoulder to shoulder alongside them in the realm of important vampire fiction. Much of vampire lore is allegorical, oftentimes presented as a commentary on man’s inhumanity to man, and “The Transfiguration” is no different, but it also stands as a testament to man’s ability to overcome darkness and step into the light.
Milo is a fascinating character brought to the screen by a powerful performance from Eric Ruffin. Milo doesn’t talk a lot or show much emotion but between the incredible talent of Ruffin to convey exactly what he is thinking with his eyes, and director Michael O’Shea’s willingness to let him do just that, I was mesmerized by Milo every second he was on screen. There are times in this movie where you will be truly frightened by him only to be disarmed a few moments later when he returns to being vulnerable and even pitiable. I can think of several veteran actors who could never pull off this role and I applaud Eric Ruffin for what he achieved here. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
For her part, actress Chloe Levine matches Ruffin beat for beat. Her purpose in the narrative is to bring about change within young Milo’s life by showing him that he’s not alone in the world. It would have been easy to write the character as a “manic pixie dream girl” but O’Shea smartly subverts this cliche from the start and gives Levine more than enough paints for her brushes. Sophie is a nuanced, complicated character and is played with such sweetness and pain that I fell just a little bit in love with her by the end of the movie. It is this quality that makes you understand Milo’s ultimate transformation and Levine nails this important role to the wall.
Michael O’Shea’s impressive storytelling ability is also something to behold. His patience with the camera and willingness to allow a scene to breathe fills the film with a certain malaise at the grim circumstances the characters are often in. Milo’s story is tragic and when we meet him he is extremely broken, detached from the most painful parts of his reality. Several times in the film O’Shea demonstrates this detachment by filming traumatic or upsetting scenes from far away and therefore removing you, the viewer, from them. In this way you are able to understand Milo’s indifference to them and then to later understand his disgust at what he’s become when O’Shea switches it up and gets right up close and personal during these moments of dismay.
I was also impressed by the narrative choice he made with the brother character, Lewis. When we first meet Lewis he is portrayed as gruff and angry. As the movie progresses and Milo becomes happier and more outgoing, Lewis’ character is softened as well and you get to see that he’s not such a bad guy after all. We see him as Milo sees him and it serves as another layer in the theme of “transfiguration”. This was so well executed by O’Shea that it wasn’t until after the film was over that I even noticed it. He weaves it so tightly that it blends perfectly into the rest of the tapestry. The mark of a master storyteller to be sure.
In conclusion I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this movie. It is one of the few horror films I’ve ever seen that I can honestly say should be nominated for an Academy Award. It has already been selected and screened at Cannes in 2016 as well as a slew of other festivals around the world. It certainly deserves any accolades it gets and I urge you to seek it out if it’s playing somewhere near you. I really hope it gets picked up for wide distribution so that the world can get a chance to see it. It is a remarkable film. 5 out of 5
If you are interested in seeing “The Transfiguration”, check out the film’s website for information on upcoming screenings.
