Vampiro was released in 2009 and stars, Vida Harlow, Damian Chapa and Leslie Garza. I was attracted to this movie because the majority of the cast is of colour. In most vampire movies, the stars are White and it is rare to even see a person of colour as a sidekick. Unfortunately, the change in racial dynamics was not nearly enough to save this film from itself.
The movie begins with the rape of Casanova's Mexican mother by a vampire. This results in Casanova a dhampire who turns human during the day and becomes a vampire at night. When Casanova is ten years old, his mother shoots herself in the head and this is Casanova's first real exposure to a massive quantity of blood. Though the blood was the result of his mother's death he was still attracted to it. From there, he is hunted by three vampires that Casanova's fathers send to either kill him or torture him.
Somewhere along the line he meets Alma, a young woman who is dying of a terminal disease. He offers to save both Alma and her mother but before he can save Alma's mother he is attacked by vampires. He manages to save Alma and they stay together for over a hundred years, with her providing him blood through a connection she makes at a blood bank. Something does not go right with Alma's conversion and she remains in the body of a 13 year old girl, though she does get the bonus of being able to see the future.
Casanova's love interest in this movie is Bianca. It is worth noting that Bianca is the only one referred to as White in the movie. Bianca is beaten and kicked for refusing the advances of a man at a party and so she joins what I can only believe is an all female gang. For some reason Casanova develops a connection with her and watches her surreptitiously at work. Bianca has a lesbian lover named I shit you not, Sexicana. When Sexicana and Bianca are almost raped by cops, who should show up but Casanova to save the day. Sexicana of course wants her lover back and so she makes a deal with the vampires stalking Casanova, but it turns out that by time Bianca is to enthralled with Casanova to return.
