An orphaned girl turned into a vampire must fend for herself in 19th century Spain in All the Moons. At the end of the Third Carlist War in 1876, an orphanage is attacked and a young girl (Haizea Carneros) is mortally wounded. She is saved by a woman (Itziar Ituño), who heals the girl but the woman tells her she can’t go out in the daylight. However, the girl is separated from the woman in another attack and she is eventually taken in by a lonely man named Candido (Josean Bengoetxea), who names her Amaia. Living with Candido turns out to be a challenge for Amaia, who is no longer a normal girl.
All the Moons is a dark fairytale from Spanish director and co-writer Igor Legarreta, which gives a new twist to the typical vampire story. While the child protagonist of Amaia displays all the signs of vampirism, such as a thirst for blood and getting burnt, that description is never uttered within the film, as Amaia tries to survive on her own. She eventually ends up in a village and becomes adopted by Candido, whose own daughter died sometime earlier. Despite her attempts to fit in, Amaia’s inability to eat, be hurt, or have fear ends up being her personal burden.
Coming across as a mix between Let the Right One In and The Devil’s Backbone, All the Moons is a film that is just recognizable enough as a vampire film without beating you over the head with that fact. In fact, it wouldn’t even be right to call this a horror film and it is instead a very beautiful real-life fairytale about an orphan girl trying to find her place in the world, while also desiring to get back the one thing that was taken from her.
All the Moons is screening as part of the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival
Related Links
Trailer for All the Moons – Fantasia 2021
