Awkward Dates And First Bites
Genre is one of the most effective tools a storyteller can employ. It is essentially a shortcut. When readers pick up a YA novel, they know roughly what to expect - a coming-of-age adventure where the teenage protagonist finds first love on the path to self-discovery. When movie-goers watch a modern horror film, they know that when the film's score and sound goes quiet, they should expect moments later a ghoulish image accompanying a sharp noise. Genre lays the foundation for the story so a screenwriter can build a storytelling structure that is unique with character, and for a director to imbue that structure with his (or her) own styling and muses.
"Aly," a 14-minute short film written and directed by Kevin L. Lee, uses romcom and horror film genre conventions and tropes to tell a boy-meets-girl style story with a Draculian twist. It follows Michael, a strait-laced, naive, college-aged introvert who nervously navigates what seems to be his "first time" with Aly, his confident, beautiful femme fatale. When Michael invites Aly into his apartment for their evening date and clumsily stumbles through each social interaction, Aly reveals her wild side, forcing him to consider if she is more than he can handle.
With respect to the main characters, "Aly" deploys much of the typical genre conventions you might expect. Michael, played by Max Schuster, is flustered around a confident Aly and struggles with flirting. He has a good heart but overthinks every social interaction. He has a more adventurous friend who eggs him on from the sidelines. Aly, played by Angela Wong Carbone, takes the lead in social situations, moving things at a faster pace than Michael expects. These conventions are mashed against vampire story archetypes - a sexy vampire, tortured by her condition as she fights her bloodlust, and the human love interest torn between attraction and fear.
While the film mostly sticks to its genre rails, there are some areas where it departs. This is afforded in part by Lee's mixing of the romcom and horror genres. The fright of a vampire's bite isn't just played for horror; it leads to the next turn of the story which reveals deeper truths about the characters, allowing the viewer to laugh while learning and empathizing with their driving motivations. Lee takes care not to take himself or the film too seriously, even veering into anime-style slapstick humor with a nosebleed joke, while leaving the tension of present danger in place.
The genre conventions, tropes, and subversions ultimately serve the themes and message behind the film. Aly's confidence is a veneer to protect her inner vulnerability. She is attracted to Michael, not just for his body, given that by most standards he is not the masculine type. She intuited that he was someone who could accept her for who she was…perhaps, at the cost of his own well-being. Michael, though unsure about what a relationship with Aly could bring, is willing to try to break out of his shell. We can map the challenges and decisions these characters face to the challenges we face in the real world - where relationships aren't balanced or perfect and where partners may have afflictions of mental distress, addiction, and disease. Genre is an effective storytelling tool because it can be an easier way to explore these challenges. Perhaps a vampire romantic comedy is the mirror someone needs to reflect on their own relationships.