Bloodlines is an incredibly raw, penetrating look at the prolific Vincent Castiglia and his work with the unique medium of blood. We had the opportunity to sit down and take a look at the film last week thanks to Amazon Prime. (Yes, click the link and you too can be transported into the world of viewing pleasure either for rental or purchase of this film.)
The film takes a deep dive into the beginning of the story - the creation story of Castiglia. I won't get into it here but it's safe to say that this man was raised in the bowels of hell. His experiences with abuse are extensive and unnerving but serve as a foundation of despair which fuels a prolific creative breakthrough - a boy in pain who uses his artistic promise as an outlet to communicate his innermost anguish. He speaks more about this in his film statement:
"Art has been my salvation in the most literal sense. By sincerely submitting mind and body to the (canvases) I work on, portraying with brutal honesty what was happening inside, a string of what I regard as 'eternal truths' were unearthed, and an entirely transformative process began."
Not only does the viewer get the opportunity to understand the content of Castiglia's work, but also gives them an in-depth view of the application process. Honestly, one of the coolest features of this film was watching this great artist creating contrast and painting large-scale pieces in just blood. It's pretty mind-blowing.
The film creates content weaving in interviews from people who have known Castiglia throughout his career as friends, bandmates, professional colleagues and patrons. It's amazing to hear from his patrons, of strikingly different subject positions, discuss their love of his work and their own personal connections to the pieces. The emotion that this man's work drives within his clients and viewers is incredible.
All in all, Bloodlines is a wonderful look at one of the most iconic dark artists of our time. If you’re interested in Art in any shape or form, you should definitely give it a go – you can either rent/buy it on Amazon, snag from Google Play or on Vimeo. Check out the trailer below if you haven’t yet:
