THE TRANSFIGURATION

The word transfiguration has several meanings, the first is a change in form or appearance, the second an exalting, glorifying or spiritual change and the third (capitalized) refers to the Christian feast that commemorates the transfiguration of Christ on a mountain top in the presence of three of his disciples. It is surely no coincidence then that the New Yorker director Michael O’Shea has selected a name with several meanings for the title of his feature-length debut. This movie has nothing to do with the fantasy genre, which probably includes vampirism. The story of the Afro-American boy Milo, who together with his older brother lives in a sparsely furnished flat, rather describes loneliness, isolation and the lack of emotion. To make sure at least some blood flows through his veins, he ambushes people, attacks them and licks up their red juice, whether in a public toilet or under a bridge. But Milo leaves nothing to chance: He has fastidiously researched vampirism. At his home stacks of video cassettes are piling up. He notes down on a calender when the next bite is due and he writes down his self-imposed rules in a notebook. But when he falls in love with a girl, also knocked about by life, his world and his self-perception start to crumble. “The Transfiguration” is an urban ballad of youth, that can be compared to Romero’s “Martin”. The dread isn’t lurking somewhere out there, but within ourselves.