With all the hoopla over the Twilight film, opening this Friday, here's another young adult adaptation, Blood and Chocolate. Instead of a love story between a male Vampire and Human girl, this one is between a Werewolf girl and Human boy. Loosely adapted from the award winning novel by Annette Curtis Klause, Blood and Chocolate tells the story of a hidden race of shape-shifters called the Loups-Garoux.

Everyone has two lives. The one we show the world. And the one that was never meant to be seen.

Vivian's family is murdered as a small child, and is raised by her aunt and fellow shape-shifters in Bucharest, Romania. Aunt Astrid is the current mate of the pack leader, Gabriel. Every 7 years, the pack leader must choose a new mate, and Gabriel sees Vivian as the female of their kind that would one day lead the Loups-Garoux into an Age of Hope. Vivian isn't thrilled about it, especially after she meets and falls in love with a young man, Aiden. Aiden is an artist studying werewolf legends in Bucharest, and becomes infatuated with Vivian, not knowing her secret life.

However, the truth is revealed as Vivian's cousin, Rafe (son of Gabriel and Astrid), discovers Vivian's new boy toy, and runs to tell his father. Gabriel then orders The Five (Rafe's pack of pals) to have this relationship ended, immediately. Vivian, torn by her love for Aiden, and her loyalty to her pack, struggles to find a solution.

The Romanian backdrop suits the film nicely, keeping authenticity to the story, including the use of the abundance of the local wolves (don't expect werewolf monsters, as the shape-shifting is to your garden variety wolf). And this international cast is well-acted:

• Vivian, loup-garoux - Agnes Bruckner (The Woods, Venom, The Glass House, The Shrunken City, and next year's Kill Theory and Vacancy 2: The First Cut)
• Aiden, human - Hugh Dancy (King Arthur, Ella Enchanted, Young Blades, Relic Hunter tv series, The New Adventures of Robin Hood tv series, and doing the voice of the upcoming animated tale Poe)
• Gabriel, Alpha Male of the Pack - International Actor, Olivier Martinez (Angel of Death, and the upcoming The Last Warrior)
• Astrid, Gabriel's Mate and Vivian's Aunt - International Actress, Katja Riemann (Up!Up! To The Sky, and unrelated to the genres, but she was in an amazing film I caught this year called, Bandits, German with English sub-titles surrounds an all-girl prison rock band that escapes ... better than Thelma and Louise)

The Five:

• Rafe - Bryan Dick (Torchwood tv series, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Strange)
• Ulf - Chris Geere (Adventure Inc. tv series)
• Gregor - Tom Harper (2000 version of Jason and the Argonauts)
• Finn - stunt performer, John Kerr
• Willem - Jack Wilson (The Stepfather)

In researching the background of the film adaptation and novel, there are tons of differences from book. So, whether you read the book or not, you should be able to enjoy both, as fresh stories within their own rights.

For more about the film, Blood and Chocolate, visit the MGM Official Website:

http://www.mgm.com/bloodandchocolate/