Barmaid, Laura (Camilla Metelmann) has not had a good day. After an upsetting phone call from her alcoholic mother, a long and tiring evening at work is rounded off by a late night troublemaker. Having missed the last bus home and and feeling both spooked and understandably paranoid, she climbs into a taxi. She doesn't know it yet but her evening is about to get worse. A lot worse.
The nameless taxi driver (Kim Sønderholm) into whose cab Laura has stepped has his own plans for the evening and, although it takes a while for her to realize this, Laura is in a great deal of trouble.
For a large part of its running time, Bleed With Me takes place entirely within the taxi and writer/director Emil Ishii uses this confined space to put us through what may well be the most tense and gripping taxi ride screened to date. The film draws you right to the edge of your seat as Laura slowly realizes that her driver is more than just a bit quiet, and then it becomes genuinely nail-biting as it slowly reveals just how badly events are going to turn.
That things are going to turn very bad indeed is quite clear pretty much from the moment that Laura steps into the cab. The fact that you know this, without knowing exactly where the plot is going to go, is what makes the film is so effective. The tension starts building relentlessly as soon as Laura climbs into the cab and keeps on building, with no let-up whatsoever, as the film progresses.
There is a lot more to this film, though, than just two people in a taxi and when the film reaches this point, it manages to very efficiently convey the taxi driver's back story. This approach tells us everything we need to know about the character, making him both believable and sinister, without sacrificing an ounce of tension.
Bleed With Me is a taut, claustrophobic thriller that grips you from the outset and doesn't let go until the final credits roll. It's a very brutal film that manages to achieve this sense of brutality without being particularly gory. Indeed, the sense of brutality is achieved largely because of the absence of excessive gore.
Rather than relying on blood and guts, the film achieves its impact through a combination of very tight plotting, grimly atmospheric and outstanding performances on the part of both of the lead actors.
Both of the two lead characters are very well drawn and superbly brought to life by Metelmann and Sønderholm who both deliver shockingly powerful and utterly believable performances that really do keep you on the edge of your seat.
Bleed With Me is one of the most frighteningly effective thrillers I have seen in a long time. Although not particularly long, the film has no padding and allows you absolutely no relief as it builds an atmosphere that is both tense and unnerving. It's a psychological thriller that exploits the fear of getting into the wrong taxi to tremendous effect and one that will stay with you for a long time after it's finished.
The nameless taxi driver (Kim Sønderholm) into whose cab Laura has stepped has his own plans for the evening and, although it takes a while for her to realize this, Laura is in a great deal of trouble.
For a large part of its running time, Bleed With Me takes place entirely within the taxi and writer/director Emil Ishii uses this confined space to put us through what may well be the most tense and gripping taxi ride screened to date. The film draws you right to the edge of your seat as Laura slowly realizes that her driver is more than just a bit quiet, and then it becomes genuinely nail-biting as it slowly reveals just how badly events are going to turn.
That things are going to turn very bad indeed is quite clear pretty much from the moment that Laura steps into the cab. The fact that you know this, without knowing exactly where the plot is going to go, is what makes the film is so effective. The tension starts building relentlessly as soon as Laura climbs into the cab and keeps on building, with no let-up whatsoever, as the film progresses.
There is a lot more to this film, though, than just two people in a taxi and when the film reaches this point, it manages to very efficiently convey the taxi driver's back story. This approach tells us everything we need to know about the character, making him both believable and sinister, without sacrificing an ounce of tension.
Bleed With Me is a taut, claustrophobic thriller that grips you from the outset and doesn't let go until the final credits roll. It's a very brutal film that manages to achieve this sense of brutality without being particularly gory. Indeed, the sense of brutality is achieved largely because of the absence of excessive gore.
Rather than relying on blood and guts, the film achieves its impact through a combination of very tight plotting, grimly atmospheric and outstanding performances on the part of both of the lead actors.
Both of the two lead characters are very well drawn and superbly brought to life by Metelmann and Sønderholm who both deliver shockingly powerful and utterly believable performances that really do keep you on the edge of your seat.
Bleed With Me is one of the most frighteningly effective thrillers I have seen in a long time. Although not particularly long, the film has no padding and allows you absolutely no relief as it builds an atmosphere that is both tense and unnerving. It's a psychological thriller that exploits the fear of getting into the wrong taxi to tremendous effect and one that will stay with you for a long time after it's finished.
Tell Your Friends