Feb. 10—A quick ride on the 10 bus to the E Broadway @ K St stop, followed by an even shorter walk, brought me and my date to the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library, where we soon enjoyed mocktails and a movie.
Though we arrived late, a librarian brought us to a room in the far back right corner of the main room. Entering in the dark, we were greeted with chairs around a projector and a side table housing a pitcher full of virgin bloody mary, cups, and a large bowl full of celery. We each grabbed a drink and some celery and migrated to the back. Though the librarian was having some trouble, the movie was soon on its way again.
Movies and Mocktails is a monthly film series run by the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library. They strive to celebrate “diverse voices from around the world.” The movie this month was the indie film, “What We Do In the Shadows” (2014). A mockumentary, the film follows a group of four vampire housemates living in Wellington, New Zealand, up until the Unholy Masquerade, a party that occurs every few years for members of the secret society they’re apart of.
One of the opening scenes is a house meeting between three of the characters discussing dishes that haven’t been washed in five years and keeping the skeletons of their victims swept up. Filled with shenanigans from start to finish, it draws from vampire folklore from around the world, and each main character is derived from a different famous vampire. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Nosferatu to Edward Cullen from Twilight, each are showcased in this mockumentary.
Part of the film is their relationships with the werewolves of Wellington, while another storyline is how one of their victims accidentally gets turned into a vampire and they’re now stuck with him. Nick, the new vampire, continually brings around his human friend, Stu, and the running gag is everyone likes Stu better than Nick. Nick is constantly telling people he’s a vampire which brings a vampire hunter to the house.
“What We Do In The Shadows” stars Oscar winner Taika Waititi as well as Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, and Ben Fransham as the other three main vampires. Waititi and Clement were also directing and writing. Being independent, the film has a lot of characters bearing the same name as their actors.
As it was an R rated movie, the event was advertised to adults at the library, so the main demographic was people in their late 60s and onward. The room, full of elders, was having a blast, so one could say that the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library was popping Monday night. The movie let out at around 7:45 p.m., and I’d like to add that the surrounding area is full of places to eat, because Virgin Bloody Mary’s don’t fill one up very much.
I will say it’s an iconic place to bring your date. The next Movies and Mocktails takes place on March 16, 2020. The South Boston branch states, “In celebration of our relationship with Údarás na Gaeltachta, an Irish organization which is devoted to promoting the Irish language and culture both in Ireland and abroad, we will be showing a film in the Irish language and serving a non-alcoholic ‘mocktail.’”