Characters Without Blood, or a movie “without blood”?
Years after a childhood marked by bloodshed, a woman and her former enemy sit across from each other—bound by guilt, silence, and a past that won’t stay buried.
A movie adapted from Alessandro Baricco’s novel and written/directed by Angelina Jolie, Without Blood is now in italian theatres – produced by Fremantle, Jolie Productions, The Apartment Pictures, and De Maio Entertainment and distributed by Vision Distribution (Italy) and Fremantle worldwide.
It is a drama driven by themes like war, trauma, memory, healing, and revenge. All these factors create a world for our female lead, played by Salma Hayek Pinault as Nina and Demián Bichir as Tito, with interesting twists of conflict and moments of Q&A where both must find answers to their shared past.
The film starts with an interesting setting: a house in the middle of a wheat field, where everything begins from the innocent POV of a father, his son, and Nina. Then, it all evolves into focusing on these three characters, led by Salinas, played by Juan Minujín. His scenes are beautifully and emotionally intense, yet he never overshadows his co-stars. He finds a natural balance and syncs with the performance of Alfredo Herrera, who plays Manuel Roca, the father of the two kids.
By unpacking the screenplay into three acts, the inciting incident starts early instead of unfolding gradually, which affects the tone. However, when the film shifts quickly into flash-forwards and flashbacks, it helps us understand, and more and more, for the characters, what happened from the beginning through the perspectives of Nina (Salma Hayek Pinault) and Tito (Demián Bichir). Once the central conflict reveleas, the story unfolds beautifully through powerful themes until the end.
Salma Hayek, Without Blood (courtesy Freematle)
Nina is searching for answers, having survived as a child when Salinas and his men murdered her father and brother. Decades later, she meets Tito again—one of those responsible—in a restaurant encounter that becomes the turning point. This scene begins to uncover what might follow. Here, trauma resurfaces, memory gains significance, and themes of healing and revenge emerge through an intense and witty dialogue. However, at some points, the monologues become too long. The “show, don’t tell” filmmaking technique could have added more depth, allowing their performances to speak louder and making the dialogue even stronger.
By quoting what Nina says, “Must be nice to be able to make choices like that.” This powerful sentence captures the whole film’s context. It reflects how every character makes choices that define them. It answers many of the film’s more profound questions and shows the director’s detailed eye in shaping speech and tone to reflect the process of healing, guilt, and redemption. Nina seems set on revenge for her family, but with Tito, the opportunity becomes something else—she offers him a choice. And it all ties back to the fact that Tito once spared her life when she was just a baby.
However, it goes deeper than that. In the middle of the dialogue, we learn more about the war, besides personal stories, and the weight of their choices.
Tito shown investigating whether the baby he once spared is still alive. Meanwhile, Nina tries to understand why that pain shaped her life—how she lost a family, and forced to create a new one at a young age, got married, and became a mother of three. Still, she carried a feeling of incompleteness right up to that final, crucial conversation.
Miss Jolie’s directorial vision brings a unique touch to this adaptation. Adapting a novel for the screen is never easy, but in interviews, Jolie mentioned that Baricco “He writes with such clarity but the world is so clear like he writes for cinema to me. He almost writes as a director because he paints such a clear picture. And when I read it, it was a clear study in our humanity, in human relationships, and very necessary discussions. I think maybe now more important than ever” That clarity is present in this film. The novel provided a strong foundation, but the final product shows the result of serious preparation and dedication—especially in its exceptional cinematography.
The story’s setting seems inspired by real wars, perhaps even the Spanish Civil War. Though not clearly defined, the costume design feels intentional and grounded in the film’s emotional atmosphere, bringing authenticity to the world these characters live in.
The soundtrack and sound design add another layer of emotion. They support the performances without being overwhelming and help guide the audience through the characters’ experiences. Everything is with taste and precision.
Overall, Without Blood is a movie worth watching. It explores meaningful themes, poses big questions, and invites us to think rather than spoon-feed easy answers. It reaches deep into the human soul and reflects a sharp, detailed directorial eye and a respectful adaptation of the novel—beautiful, powerful film.
Rate 4/5
