What We Do in the
Shadows (2014) – It’s no surprise that this film, written and directed by
Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, is a laugh-out-loud riot; one need only look
at their recent comedic pedigrees (Flight
of the Conchords and Thor: Ragnarok)
to know we’re in for a good time. Waititi, Clement, and Jonathan Brugh star as
a trio of vampiric flatmates in New Zealand, the subject of a documentary in
the months leading up to their annual Unholy Masquerade ball, during which time
they make human friends and consider adding one more to their nocturnal number.
The bulk of the film’s humor comes from the vampires’ rapid-fire delivery and
gift with one-liners (describing a bloodstained couch as “Well, it’s red now”) and the distinctly unique blend of
supernatural horror with the utterly banal, like seeing a vampire do the dishes
or learn how to use Skype. There’s a divine subplot involving Rhys Darby as the
leader of a gang of well-mannered werewolves (“We’re werewolves, not
swear-wolves”) and the delightful presence of a fourth roommate, an
8,000-year-old dead ringer for Nosferatu’s
Count Orlok. The film’s comedic timing is impeccable, perfecting the art of the
mockumentary with the awkward way its characters continually break the fourth-wall
with a self-aware smile, but there are also those moments that engross you so
much that you forget about the mockumentary conceit – until a character
hilariously mentions the fact that there are cameras in the room. At a tight
eighty-five minutes, What We Do ends
up doing the opposite of overstaying their welcome; I’d have been happy with
much, much more of this irreverent and singularly inimitable vision of the
vampire myth wedded to the quotidian. That does it for this week’s edition of “Monday at the Movies.” We’ll see you next week!
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