Women kicking ass, check. Vampires, check. Queer characters, check. Diversity, check.
Bit, a movie written and directed by Brad Michael Elmore, follows Laurel, played by Nicole Maines, a recent high school graduate who drives to Los Angeles from Oregon to spend summer vacation with her older brother. On her first night out, she encounters a gang of girls who, unbeknownst to her, are vampires. Edgy, right?
Spoilers Ahead!
The leader of the gang is Duke, a vampire who was turned in the 1970s by former gang leader Vlad, a centuries old vampire with the ability to influence minds. In order to regain control of her mind, she sets Vlad on fire and locks his heart in a vault.
Throughout her decades as a vampire, Duke gains a band of loyal followers, Izzy, Roya, and Frog. And yes, she most likely had to turn them herself. Together, they roam the streets of LA, ridding it of entitled, predatory men.
When Laurel follows the girl crew to an after-hours party, she finds herself on a rooftop sharing a kiss with Izzy. Plot twist, Izzy bites her. Worst first kiss ever. Adding insult to injury, apparently Izzy was intending to kill her. Luckily, Duke intervenes, letting Laurel turn instead.
Once turned, Duke explains the rules of “Bite Club” to Laurel. She notes that the most important rule is that you can never turn a man into a vampire because they can’t handle power. She had some evidence from history to back it up.
“You never, ever turn a man. Men can’t handle power — they have it already and look what they’ve done with it.”
Without giving too much away, Laurel is forced to navigate a new landscape as a new species. She, along with the rest of the girls, work together to find a balance between power and unity.
Here’s what I love about this movie – it’s a humorous, light and entertaining story about sexy, badass female vampires that takes place in my favorite city. Not only that, but these sexy, badass female vampires spend their time kicking the asses of sexist, arrogant, disgusting men, and some women too. It also addresses the inequality between men and women, and highlights how men have abused power throughout history. In order to counter this, the film’s strong, diverse women band together and even the playing field. It shows viewers that power should be shared, which is something those in power fail to realize time and time again.
