The Last Nosferatu, written and produced by French, martial-arts champion, Alan (Borrowed Time/The Shepherd Code) Delabie, who also directed with his ongoing collaborator, LH Chambat, misled me. I figured, if only due to its title, that it was a Count Orlak/Dracula variant (a mockbuster, that is, to cash in on the recent, Nosferatu remakes), but it's rather a tale of allegorical addiction, rendered along the lines of Bill Gunn's Ganja & Hess and Larry Fessenden's Habit, with a sprinkling of George A. Romero's Bruiser and the Forever Knight series, though relegated to present-day France and in its early phases, punctuated with relatable, wry humor.
For the sake of this modern fable, Delabie plays Ethan, a likable businessman who searches for love on the Internet. He meets a mysterious vixen who calls herself Black Pearl, portrayed by the exotic Victoria Axensalva. She's a vampire, of course, and after biting Ethan, he's in for an arduous ride, becoming something he doesn't wish to be, equipped with fangs, yellow eyes, ridged nose, long nails and pointy ears. (Granted, the devilish guise is rather customary, but all the more purposeful within the story's subtle annals.)
Delabie is enjoyable and ultimately nuanced in his role (striking a resemblance to Oliver Reed during the story's more serious segments) and is surrounded by a capable cast, with Affif Ben (Taken/Unleashed) Brada as a would-be Van Helsing; Betrand Leplae as Ethan's inconsiderate boss; Mailyse Hermans as Ethan's supportive sister; and Michael Morris and Robin Cooke as bracketing friends who offer relationship advice.
Though Last Nosferatu contains the obligatory jolts, it works best when it emphasizes empathy toward its addicted lead. From the start, Ethan is reckless but amiable, an unsuspecting bloke who's thrust into his mutating ordeal mirrors that of Lon Chaney Jr.'s Lawrence Talbot. Though Ethan comes to accept his fate, it's not without a thirst for vengeance. Black Pearl must pay the price for infecting him.
By the movie's end, Ethan learns why Black Pearl chose him, revealing that he really isn't the last of his kind and is more so paying the price for an ancestor's deeds. This plot devise is a surprise, going contrary to the title, but if there's any pronounced criticism I hold for the film, it's brevity. I wanted more, and perhaps more will come through a sequel. The Last Nosferatu deserves such, and intuition tells me that Delabie is probably penning one.
(The Last Nosferatu is available for streaming on Tubi, Fandango and Amazon Prime.)
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