Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Certified: 15
Duration: 123 minutes
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, Jeffrey Wright, Anton Yelchin, Slimane Dazi, Yasmine Hamdan, White Hills
Soda Picture

John Hurt as a poet from Shakespeare’s time.

Jim Jarmusch is one of the most eclectic directors around and every film of his is an event. One’s expectation of something unique is usually well founded.

Among his films, and some of my favourite of his, are Dead Man (1995), the slick Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), the relationship-tangled Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and Broken Flowers (2005).

Only Lovers Left Alive can be tagged as a vampire movie but to do so would be doing it injustice.

Jarmusch’s movie expands way beyond the constraints and mass expectations of what has become an over-populated genre. And while it is not as groundbreaking as the director might think, it surely reinvigorates the genre.

The director brings along his usual characters, who seem to be aloof from the rest of the world as they shield themselves with an air of sophistication. This suits vampires well as they are supposed to live on another level of reality.

The plot is kept simple. Vampires Adam and Eve (Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton) have been together for centuries but live apart.

They have both lived a full and rich life until now. Adam lives a very bohemian musician-style life in Detroit. He has influenced the development of music around the world by helping others write their best pieces. However, he is now depressed.

On the other hand, Eve is in Tangier, surrounded by books. When she sees that Adam is depressed, she decides to join him.

The two do not feed on humans as they believe that human blood has become contaminated over the years. Thus they have all developed ways to secure and stash ‘clean’ blood.

Adam gets his blood from a hospital, while Eve relies on a poet named Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt) from Shakespeare’s time.

When Eve’s sister (Mia Wasikowska) turns up, the rules they have set for themselves may well be thrown out the window.

The film deviates to a certain extent from the norms of the genre

Only Lovers Left Alive has at its core two actors on a high. Swinton fits her role like a glove as she transforms into a languid immortal that has seen too many a year. Her matching with Hiddleston is just right. His character is fully fledged, sensual and bored out of his mind as the years start taking their toll.

Meanwhile, Hurt brings an ageing wisdom to the picture, which has its fair share of fun with the way it plays with historical figures.

Visually the film soars and flies as it delivers stunning views of Detroit at night-time. Each screenshot has a haunting look to it, with creatures, vampires and not, coming out at night.

The end looks near and the film knows it, acknowledges it and is almost weeping for it.

The result is a film about vampires which explores the genre without really giving in to it except for the final, almost ironic, shot. Definitely a film to sink one’s teeth into.

This film is showing at Eden Cinemas.