Bloodlines: The Art and Life of Vincent Castiglia

Went into this movie thinking that it was an artist who used a gimmick to sell his art. He paints macabre pictures in blood. Then I watched the movie.

First of all, his painting have exquisite craftsmanship and detail. Blood is like watercolor and thus, is very hard to work with. Vincent is also limited to one color. His painting take many hundreds of hours to complete and the extra care shows.

The bulk of the movie is about what a screwed up childhood Vincent had and how he overcame it with his art. His childhood trauma lead to anger, drug addiction and suicidal thoughts. His choice of blood as a medium and his beautiful, macabre painting are a release for the anger he felt inside.

The movie is ultimately about redemption through artistic creation. It is a gritty but ultimately inspiring story!

In Bloodlines, independent film maker John Borowski takes us on a deep dive into the world of controversial artist Vincent Castiglia. Castiglia's history, art, inspiration, medium, followers, fans and collectors (both unknown and celebrities) are included in this expansive documentary. It includes interviews and loads of footage of him creating his totally unique paintings. Although it's a little long, there's not one moment where I lost interest. One of Borowski's best films to date.