‘Bloody Marie’ (2019) Movie Review – An Astonishing Feat Of Acting

Bloody Marie is a new thriller from directors  and Guido van Driel (The Resurrection Of A Bastard 2013). It’s the story of an alcoholic graphic novelist, Marie Wankelmut (the extraordinary Susanne Wolff: The Three Musketeers 2011), who has hits rock bottom. The film also stars Dragos Bucur (Ride Along 2014), newcomer Alexia Lestiboudois, Teun Liujkx (A’dam – E.V.A. TV series), and Jan Bijvoet (Peaky Blinders TV series).

Synopsis:

Marie Wankelmut, once successful comic artist, lives among the prostitutes in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. Nowadays drunken and bold, she gets into one conflict after another. A gruesome sobering event at her neighbors, forces her to take action.

At the point when we meet Marie, we can practically see the alcohol oozing out of her pores. She’s a brash, bold drunk who doesn’t mind getting in the face of a large group of men and going off on a feminist rant. Most of us know the type — the well functioning drinker who can walk and talk, but otherwise floats through life with that dull alcoholic shine to them. They crash through life just a little – or a lot – off center.

Marie is the latter. She has begun starting problems in liquor stores and bars and generally making an enormous pain in the ass of herself. She gets herself involved with her seedy neighbor after she steals money from him, and then accidentally witnesses a crime. Can she turn everything around, or it is too late?

I cannot say enough about Wolff’s performance as Marie, which is just unbelievable and easily drew me in, despite the dark subject matter. Without her, there would be no film, period. This is, without a doubt, the most realistic depiction of a functioning alcoholic I have ever seen put to film. As someone touched by alcoholism in their life, I’ll admit I actually found it painful to watch in places because it felt so real. But it’s liberating as an audience member to watch Marie decide at some point to fight back for her life.

The cinematography in Bloody Marie is incredible. The film takes place in a lush, dark, and seedy side of Amsterdam that is crawling with pimps and prostitutes. Everything is lit with blue and hot pink neon lights like an anime fever dream. I do wish the thriller part of the film had been a bit more well developed. I felt it lacked the same care and detail the first half of the film had.

Overall, this Bloody Marie will probably not be everyone’s bottle of vodka, but for Wolff’s performance alone, I would recommend this film a thousand times.