Only Lovers Left Alive
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska
123 mins; Class 15;
Eden Cinemas Release
Only Lovers Left Alive is the story of Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton).
Not the biblical figures, but two vampires who have been lovers for centuries although they live apart.
Adam is an underground musician in Detroit, aided by a young human Ian (Anton Yelchin) who provides all that Adam needs.
Eve, a more optimistic being, lives a somewhat quiet life in Tangier. Adam is driven by despair at life in the 21st century, going so far as to contemplate suicide.
An elegant, atmospheric tale
Sensing his melancholy, Eve travels to Detroit to be with him. The lovers reunite and, just as Eve is about to shake Adam out of his depressive ennui, the arrival of her reckless and immature younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) threatens the fragile state of affairs.
This is no ordinary vampire film simply cashing in on the ongoing fascination with these creatures of the night. It is the anti-Twilight, if you will, and will find few fans of the latter franchise in its audience. The name of director Jim Jarmusch itself should put paid to that.
Only Lovers Left Alive is typical of his output – the latest in the American independent director’s series of films involving people who live outside the mainstream, teamed with his seemingly complete disregard for plot development. For not much happens, it must be said, apart from plenty of introspective musings. But Hiddleston’s Adam and Swinton’s Eve are such fascinating characters, you wouldn’t care if they read the Yellow Pages to you.
They are both perfectly cast. Physically, I can think of no better candidates: the hair, piercing eyes and incredibly sharp cheekbones are perfect. Even their respective wardrobes reflect their personalities. His dark togs mirroring his inner turmoil; her elegant and mostly white outfits a projection of her sunnier nature.
Moreover, the two actors instil their characters with depth and emotion and the love they share is immutable, despite their different outlooks on life.
They walk the deserted streets of Detroit deep in the night, look back on past experiences with nostalgia and look ahead with trepidation while sharing glasses of deep, red, blood – all procured non-violently, of course.
For these two are too civilised to drain the blood of humans. They are repelled not only by the savagery of the act, but also by the knowledge that human blood is not as pure as it once was.
The small, tight-knit ensemble is rounded off by Wasikowska’s wild and wonderful Ava, John Hurt’s playful take on Christopher Marlowe and Jeffrey Wright’s Dr Watson, who provides clean, pure blood to Adam on a regular basis.
“There’s a diamond up there the size of a planet. It emits the music of a gigantic gong,” says Eve at one point, contemplating the universe and her and Adam’s miniscule part in it.
It may be too full of similar profound navel-gazing moments for some, but there is no denying that Only Lovers Left Alive is an elegant, atmospheric tale. It is moodily told through Jarmusch’s polished dialogue offering much droll humour and quite a few romantic moments.