Following the death of her husband, photographer Chloe (Carla Juri) moves to Japan to try to start anew in blood. She’s welcome by their jovial old friend and traveling musician Toshi (Takashi Ueno) as well as the beguiling mysteries that every new city holds. As Chloe wanders the city streets and inviting countryside with her camera, she makes new acquaintances, including a man whose wife is battling cancer, a kind-hearted kindred spirit florist, and a dance choreographer. But none quite see her as fully as Toshi does. As a yearning and perhaps forbidden attraction takes root, the widowed Chloe must contend with allowing herself to feel romantically for someone again.
An understated meditation on grief, the observant drama from writer-director-producer Bradley Rust Gray explores what it is to quietly bear an impossible cross. Chloe puts on a brave face and approaches her new world with genuine curiosity and care but there’s a deep-seated sadness to her that cannot be unsaddled. Juri is outstanding in the role, delivering a performance of great tenderness and depth. She masks the grief that always simmers within her as best she can but tears silently spill whenever she brushes against beauty, displays of affection. A brilliant performer, Juri gives a masterclass in tapping into great wells of feeling without ever being showy or flashy about it.
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The chemistry Juri shares with non-actor Takashi Ueno is palpable; the lifeblood of the picture. Toshi’s infectious laugh becomes a salve for Chloe’s wounded heart. As their cross-cultural friendship blooms into the suggestion of romance, blood focuses on the minutia of affection: a hand on the shoulder, a wiped away tear, the ability to meet someone where they are. Chloe initially rejects Toshi’s considerate advances though it’s clear that her inability to connect is tied to unfinished processing. Chloe shuffles through her internal conflict about having feelings for anyone living as the film jumps back to dreamlike memories shared with her deceased husband when they lived in Iceland.
blood traverses Japan with an observant eye, ducking into humble restaurants, pottery studios, and green nurseries to capture brief glimpses of natural daily life. Chloe muses if she overthinks her photography but Gray doesn’t fuss about overthinking. His shots are delicate; slow but rewarding. A reflection of the film writ large. His is a quiet picture, a lyrical tone poem about time slowly but surely healing the greatest wounds of the spirit and heart. A melancholic ode to the resiliency of the human heart, blood suggest that we may never be able to move on from the death of those we hold dearest but moving beyond remains possible for those who will it.
CONCLUSION: Bradley Rust Gray’s unhurried drama may move too slowly for some viewers but richly-layered performances and tender direction yield a thoughtful and emotionally evocative study of the human heart. Carla Juri gives a tastefully enormous lead performance in this otherwise restrained drama.
C+
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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