'THE INVITATION' SHOWS US THE DEFINITION OF A TRUE FAMILY.
THE LOVE OF THE DEAD MEANS MORE THAN THE DISAPPROVAL OF THE LIVING.
The theme of blood runs deep in "The Invitation", and I'm not just talking about the implied vampirism. Brilliantly executed, the film never once identifies the monsters as "vampires" or names him "Dracula", a design choice that keeps us, the viewers, on track with the overarching theme: blood and family.
Before continuing, let me take a moment to correct a globally misunderstood proverb. Everyone I know says it incorrectly before everyone I know promptly gets an earful about how wrong they are. Here it is.
WRONG: “Blood is thicker than water.”
CORRECT: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
WRONG: “Family comes first.”
CORRECT: “God comes first.”
CORRECT: “Relatives are blood. Family is a choice.”
Marinate on that. Fact check it if you like. Just never tell me that unloving blood relatives are more important than loving friends. That mentality is toxic, abusive, and just plain wrong.
Evelyn Jackson learns this crucial lesson the hard way when she receives the results of her DNA test. After the death of the only parent she knows, this graduate student and waitress finds herself struggling to make ends while finishing her Masters in Fine Arts. Even with a best friend that always has her back, she still feels a void in her life. Imagine her surprise when her wealthy, too-good-to-be-true cousin invites her on a free trip to England to meet the ‘family’. Yet, there is something very odd about these relatives. It becomes immediately clear to her that she doesn’t fit in. She doesn’t belong with them.
The hardships of her New York life gives her a necessary thick skin against the spoiled rich families who blindly follow this story’s devil. Evelyn, on the other hand, is more like her great grandmother and mother. No one tells her what to do. A modern woman, self-sufficient and independent. She’s a fighter, as stated by her mother’s most loving message. Because even the strongest fighters sometimes need a reminder.
Evelyn travels to England to learn more about the Alexander family history. Perhaps, she bites off more than she can chew with the family’s dark secret, but the lesson is invaluable. The wealthy, privileged men may have sold their souls, but she is an Alexander woman. Much like her great grandmother, she is unruly and defiant. This proud revelation is the piece of the puzzle she needs to rise above her circumstances, both in England and New York.
So, what happens when an old-fashioned gaggle of men try to force a modern woman into an arranged marriage? Nothing good for the old men. Especially the centuries old vampire with an affinity for collecting wives. (EW.)
The Master (aka Dracula), like all chauvinistic old men, don’t appreciation the times. They’re threatened by a woman with power and independence. Evelyn is a student and a hard worker back home. Even though she struggles financially, she is fulfilled. She studies a subject she loves. She has dreams of success. There not even a prominent man in her life. She is dedicated and focused.
For a creature like Dracula, that does not even compute. He becomes confused and angry that this woman, this harem candidate, would refuse a part in his narrow minded world. I can answer that: easily. Let’s get with the times. This is no Cinderella romance.
This is a woman’s hero’s journey where she discovers that the love of a friend surpasses the obligation of blood. Even though her mother passes on, her mother’s love is still within her. She also has the love of her best friend who is there for her through everything. Every exam. Every terrible job. Every day she’s out of reach in England. She stands by her side through it all.
That is love. That is family. Not those DNA matching, privileged men who try sell her off as a bride to a gross old man. Seriously. What century is this? Because the love of her mother and best friend, she fights her way to survival and returns home a stronger person. She finds her inner fighter.
What is a family? It’s anyone you damn well please. Don’t let any toxic blood relative tell you otherwise.
