By Blood (Short)
Debra Markowitz has now sent three short films to me in about a year, and the most exciting thing about them is that none are the same story than the other. For her latest effort, “By Blood,” we see as two brothers struggle with the loss of a woman they both loved, and the emotions that come with that conflict of interest.
Jimmy (Joseph A. Halsey) and his brother Vincent (Russ Camarda) are in Vincent’s house after the funeral of Vincent’s wife, Tricia, and the last of their loved ones have paid their respects and left. Jimmy offers as much help as he can to his brother in his time of need, but Vincent has deep emotions that no one can really help with. He feels anguish about the life he was unable to give Tricia, including trips and children, and it leads him to confess that he once cheated on her, and almost ruined the relationship. He then confides that she was pregnant at one point, and he knew that it wasn’t his, but it was Jimmy’s. That leads to long-buried tensions as the emotions they both felt for her come to a boil, and lead to another tragedy.
Markowitz gets terrific work out of Halsey and Camarda as they follow the ebb and flow of the changing dynamics between Jimmy and Vincent as the feelings on display get rawer and rawer as they head to what feels like an inevitable climax. It’s a powerful, intimate drama about love lost in more ways than one. It doesn’t let go, just like the resentments of two brothers who have hurt each other over the years in ways they only understand when it’s too late.
By Blood (2016) Teaser Trailer from Debra Markowitz on Vimeo.
