Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, John Hurt, Jeffrey Wright.
Jim Jarmusch is one of the darlings of the American independent film scene, but he is alsosomething of an acquired taste. His films are often existential in nature and explore loners andoutcasts struggling to find their place in the world. His latest film is sure to please afficionadoes ofhis minimalist style. However, it unlikely to win over new converts.
Only Lovers Left Alive offers an unconventional take on the mythology of vampires familiar toaudiences through a series of horror films. But this is a far cry from the twee romance of Twilight, those old Dracula films starring Bela Lugosi, the camp horror of those Hammer horror filmsstarring Christopher Lee, or even Interview With A Vampire. It has taken Jarmusch seven years tobring his unusual take on the vampire tale to the screen especially after his American investorsdropped out.
The central characters here are Adam and Eve, a couple of sybaritic cultured centuries oldvampires who seem to be irrelevant in this contemporary world. Their choice of names isdeliberately Biblical. Adam (Tom Hiddleston, best known for his role as Loki in the Thor franchise)has been married to Eve (Tilda Swinton) for a couple of centuries, but they now live apart. Whilehe lives in Detroit she lives in Tangiers. They have evolved to a level where they no longer needto kill for sustenance. However, because human blood has become contaminated they need moresophisticated methods of drinking the vital blood that keeps them alive.Adam is a depressed and reclusive rock musician, who lives in a crumbling Detroit, and is grippedby a sense of malaise. Like a junkie, Adam gets his vital blood supply from the accommodatingdoctor Watson (Jeffrey Wright). Adam refers to the humans as zombies because they are slowlydestroying the earth. Adam has grown cynical and worries about the future. His only realcompanion is Ian (Anton Yelchin), a “zombie” who regularly brings him supplies, including classicguitars. He has recently brought Adam a wooden bullet which he plans to use to kill himself as anescape from this decaying and not too friendly environment.Eve, who is a good deal older and more worldly than Adam, has a passion for culture, literature,art and history, and she lives in the more exotic city of Tangiers. Eve only emerges from herhumble house at night time to savour the city’s delights and cafes and get her regular supply ofblood from her supplier and only real companion, a desiccated playwright Christopher Marlowe(John Hurt), who drops hints about how he supplied the likes of Shakespeare with some of hisgreat dramas.Growing bored with life, Eve comes to Detroit to visit Adam, and they drive around and reminisceabout the past. Everything goes smoothly until the arrival of her immature and impulsive youngersister Ava (Mia Wasikiwska, recently seen in Tracks, etc), from Los Angeles. She still has the oldinsatiable thirsts, and her presence upsets the delicate balance that Adam has established. Heand Eve soon head back to Tangiers.
Although the central characters are a couple of centuries old vampires, Only Lovers Left Alive is afar cry from the usual vampire fare, and it certainly has more lofty aims than the vapid Twilightfranchise. It deals with themes or immortality, literature, family, relationships and is full ofJarmusch’s usual signature touches.
While it is more literary and discerning in its ambition, OnlyLovers Left Alive stakes its claim to be considered one of the dullest vampire movies ever made.It lacks bite, pardon the pun, and does not follow the usual formula of the vampire flick.Only Lovers Left Alive is set in a crumbling vision of a not too distant Detroit, a former industrialcity, where human greed and climate change has taken its toll on the world as we know it. An airof melancholy and nostlagia hangs over the film, and the sensual gloomy cinematography ofFrench cinematographer Yorick Le Saux (the visually gorgeous but dull I Am Love, Arbitrage, etc)suits Jarmausch’s almost poetic style. But it is also dark and brooding and at times it was hard onthe eyes. Jarmusch’s vision of a decaying Detroit is evocative and reflects the films key themes.Hiddleston and Swinton deliver smooth performances.
Hiddleston exudes a rather cooldemeanour here and brings a smouldering sensuality to his performance as the jaded, dissoluterock star. The likes of Bowie, Jagger and Iggy Pop are obvious influences on his look andswaggering mannerisms. Throughout her career, Swinton has managed to play many indelibleand memorable characters and deliver solid performances, even in substandard fare. Here inparticular she brings an elegant grace to her performance as Eve. Wasikowska, who seems to bein just about every other movie at the moment, makes the most of her small role. And Hurt bringshis usual world weary quality to his performance in a small role.Only Lovers Left Alive is Jarmusch’s first foray into the horror genre, but it is more an exercise instyle over substance and will not appeal to everybody. The film is shaped by his usual distant andaloof directorial style, his droll sense of humour, his visual flourishes, and his meditative andelusive approach to narrative conventions.
Music has often played a vital part in Jarmusch’s films, and here the soundtrack is packed withsome eclectic choices. Jarmusch’s own band SQURL has composed the haunting score. Thereare also lots of clever literary and musical references littered throughout the script that many willfeel that the film is self indulgent and far too clever for its own good. Jarmusch’s direction isunhurried, and many may indeed find the langorous pacing a tad tedious. At 122 minutes the filmseems to drag.
★★
