Veronica Rampant here,
I feel like we need to come up with a better name than "Coming of age body horror." I mean, it's definitely a thing. But if we've defined "coming of age" as a genre that's basically about boys getting their driver's licenses, feeling up girls, and puking at graduation parties, it makes the "body horror" part seem like it's kind of tacked onto the concept. But, in fact, adolescence IS body horror. Your body is going through changes you didn't ask for, can't control, and don't necessarily like. It's an out of control, fraught time. And if you're a girl, you're about to feel like the Final Girl in your own personal slasher film every 28 days. "Lovecraftian?" "Surreal?" Baby, that doesn't even begin to describe it.
Which brings us to BLUE MY MIND, a genre film from Swiss director Lisa Bruhllman, that has had a much lauded run on the genre festival circuit this year, at SIFF, Fantasia and Fantastic Fest.
BLUE MY MIND follows 15 year old Mia (Luna Wedler), who has been experiencing strange physical changes ever since she got her first period. Changes like webbing growing between her toes, and a strange desire to eat live fish from her aquarium. She's also running with a crowd of girls who are almost as terrifying as the changes going on in her own body, partying and engaging in risky behavior with the beautiful and dangerous Gianna (Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen).
The premise sounds like it could easily be super goofy, but in the deft hands of Lisa Bruhllman, and with masterful performances from the leads, it becomes an understated drama fraught with all the anxiety of adolescence. Genre fest audiences have been wondering when the film will get a release, and will welcome this news: the movie appears on VOD platforms (iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, and so on) on November 13th.
What do you think? Is this something you want to see? Tell us in the comments!
