Byzantium (2012)
Certified: 16
Duration: 118 minutes
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley, Jonny Lee Miller, Tom Hollander, Daniel Mays, Caleb Landry Jones, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Warren Brown
KRS release
Academy Award-winner for The Crying Game (1992), Neil Jordan has always made memorable forays into the world of fantasy and horror. The Company of Wolves (1984) was a ground-breaking Gothic werewolf film; High Spirits (1988) was fun and ghostly; In Dreams (1999) was surreal in its approach; and Interview with the Vampire (1994) was a masterful rendition of Anne Rice’s chronicles of the undead ones.
It runs counter to the Twilight movies and their spineless vampires
With Byzantium, the Irish director marks his third foray into dealing with the non-living. This was quite an expectation-filled event, especially because he teamed up with Moira Buffini who is well known for her stage plays and her script for 2011’s Jane Eyre.
The result is a good-looking film that is more of a thriller imbued with fantasy and horror themes. It presents a different slant on the genre and comes equipped with a great cast and a well-honed script.
The film revolves around its two principal characters, vampire sisters Eleanor and Clara (Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton). They seem to be always on the run and on the move from one place to the other. They are presented differently to other vampires – they do not have fangs, they can go out in daylight and mirrors do not betray them.
Eleanor seems to have been stuck in the teenage phase with plenty of frustrations to boot. She tries to openly feed on victims who wish to end their life.
Then there is Clara who is hungrier and works the adult scene. She goes out of her way not only to feed but to keep the two of them one step ahead of discovery and capture.
This leads them to escape from London and start over in Brighton. They find shelter in a rundown inn, Byzantium Hotel. Soon Clara transforms the place into a brothel where the two sisters can quench their thirst for human blood. But something is looking out for them.
Meanwhile, Eleanor gets involved with a teenager (Caleb Landry Jones) who has leukaemia, leading to interesting twists.
The film employs the flashback technique to show what the women went through, their past lives and what holds them together.
The acting is overall excellent. One of my favourite young actresses of the moment, Ronan (Atonement, Hanna and The Lovely Bone) is once again resplendent, almost ethereal.
In stark contrast, Arterton is required to play the total opposite of Ronan – she is the predator, the sexy one. And The Clash of the Titans star lives up to this role quite well.
Miller leaves quite an impression as one of the haunting figures in Eleanor’s past.
Neil Jordan directs with a solid hand. Backed up by the rich cinematography of Sean Bobbit, the film emerges as a strong visual experience and leaves many an emotional echo.
The result is a vastly interesting film that slowly sinks its hold on you. It also runs counter to the Twilight movies and their spineless vampires.
Jordan’s take on the undead in Interview with the Vampire had been pivotal in presenting the vampire as a romantic figure. Here the vampire is romantic and tragic but always stands up for itself.
It also shows that Jordan has quite a few aces up his sleeve and knows how to deliver the goods.