Chimères (English: Chimeras) is a 2013 Swiss drama/horror film and the feature film directorial debut of Olivier Beguin, who co-wrote with Colin Vettier. It stars Jasna Kohoutova, Yannick Rosset and Catriona MacColl (City of the Living Dead; The Beyond; The Theatre Bizarre). Italian film director Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust; House on the Edge of the Park; The Washing Machine) has a cameo role.
The film had its world premiere on July 5, 2013 at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, where it won a special mention for best feature film.
Plot teaser:
Alex (Yannick Rosset) and Livia (Jasna Kohoutova) are a young couple on vacation in Romania. Their trip is uneventful until Alex severely injures himself while drunk and requires a trip to the hospital. His injuries necessitates a blood transfusion and Alex initially seems like he will be fine.
However when he and Livia return home, Alex begins to develop strange new symptoms. He has an all new aversion to light, he is unable to eat anything, and develops insomnia. Alex and Livia initially believe this to be brain damage, but they soon discover the reality of the situation: that Alex is turning into a vampire.
Reviews:
“With its final minutes offering multiple gasps and an action-packed revenge sequence filled with blood, head-crushing and spine-ripping,Chimères’ arguably slow, over-edited start makes more sense compositionally as the movie reaches its violent crescendo. Well-written and acted Chimères is a balanced take on vampirism and the creatures’ ancient struggle with companionship and love.” Norberto Gomez Jr., Fangoria
“The technical side of things is where Chimères finds its strongest assets, with some impressive cinematography and lighting for the budget, and robust editing. Beyond that, however, is a shaky attempt at intimate connection that ultimately transforms into dolly shots of people being beaten to death. Ringing hollow in the end, Chimères is a respectable effort at doing something different with the genre…” Gareth Jones, Dread Central
“Fans of the genre can probably guess that steak tartare is never going to satiate bloodlust, and there seems to be no bigger fan than Chimères director Olivier Beguin himself. In his first feature length film, Beguin plays ably with both genre conventions and the necessities of low-budget filmmaking. Rather than the usual focus on the hunger and the hunt, the film mines more intimate territory, examining how Alex’s transformation affects his relationship with Livia, and more intriguingly, his own sense of self.” Ben Croll, Twitch Film
Cast:
- Jasna Kohoutova as Livia
- Yannick Rosset as Alex
- Catriona MacColl as Michelle
- Ruggero Deodato as Butcher
- Paulo Dos Santos as Fred
- Derek Robin as Doctor
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