Dark Blood (2012)

Directed by: George Sluizer | 86 minutes | thriller | Actors: River Phoenix, Judy Davis, Jonathan Pryce, Karen Black, T. Dan Hopkins, Lorne Miller, Julius Drum, John Trudell, Rodney A. Grant, George Aguilar

‘Dark Blood’ was supposed to be the definitive breakthrough in Hollywood of the Dutch George Sluizer, who had managed to make a big impression with ‘Spoorloos’ both at home and abroad. Things took a different turn when star and protagonist River Phoenix died of an overdose at the age of twenty-three, on the doorstep of a nightclub. A conflict arose between the bank and the insurance company and the unfinished film material was confiscated. When the recordings threatened to be destroyed, Sluizer decided to steal the material – read: to ‘steal’. Years later, after Sluizer was told by a doctor that he didn’t have long to live, he decided to make ‘Dark Blood’ a more or less finished version, filling in the missing scenes with a voice recorded by himself. -about. So that everyone, at the very least, can witness the latest River Phoenix movie footage. We can in any case be grateful to Sluizer for this. However, the film itself doesn’t have much to offer beyond its historical value and various technical qualities. He’s just pretty fun to watch once. And that’s fine.

‘Dark Blood’ has interesting themes in itself, which are also close to the heart of protagonist Phoenix. Such as dealing with the nature and indigenous people of a country or area, in this case the desert of Arizona. Nuclear tests have been carried out here, without paying much attention to the consequences for the local population. Yes, it brought in a lot of tourists, one motel owner tells us, but it also caused illness and death. For example, the wife of ‘Boy’ (Phoenix) has fallen prey to a form of cancer as a result of the tests.

Boy is – largely because of this – embittered and left alone, living in a cottage in the desert. He has Indian blood and has different emotions, which are barely hidden under the skin. Apart from a certain anger and frustration, he – of course – also has lusts that he has not been able to do much with in his young life. So when a Hollywood yuppie couple gets stranded with their car and the woman, Buffy (Judy Davis), knocks on his door, the romantic – or erotic – tension is cut. He quickly shows that he is interested in Buffy. And when he hangs an old magazine photo of a scantily clad Buffy on a wall in his cottage, there’s no doubt about it.

That Boy provokes and irritates the man, Harry, with this is of course not entirely unexpected, nor unintentional. He goes so far until Harry literally tells him to stay away from his wife, after which things go from bad to worse and a psychological cat-and-mouse game takes place, which continues to fascinate for quite some time.

The interesting thing is that Buffy is initially charmed by Boy and clearly needs the positive attention she gets; and which she misses from her own husband, with whom she is constantly bickering. However, it doesn’t take long before Boy, who keeps promising to have their car repaired, but is constantly wasting time, goes too far and also angers Buffy. Especially his mystical, ‘magical’ activities in a cave with totems and candles, partly intended for the apocalypse, where Boy initially manages to seduce Buffy, becomes a bit too creepy at a certain point.

It is a pity that the film was never fully completed. Because although Sluizer’s voice-over also gives the film a certain charm, you still miss some crucial scenes, where the visual aspect would clearly have had an added value for the involvement with the characters. Still, the question is how much more impact the film could have made. Yes, Ed Lachman’s camera work beautifully and thoughtfully shows the different landscapes, Florencia di Concilio’s guitar music is appropriate (though sometimes a bit too dominant) and the actors are more than capable, but much more than a b-movie with simple contrasts , conflicts and developments it has not become. Relationships and characters are not really explored in depth and the tension could have been exploited or explored a bit more.

Still, the film is definitely worth watching, if only to see the last moments on celluloid of the much too early deceased Phoenix. Who knows how far his star could have risen. Eternal sin. And George Sluizer, thank you!