Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive is the ultimate
hipster vampire film, with pretentious exclusivity in musical preferences
taking up more of the film’s running time than anything vampire related. This
is perhaps the only vampire film I can think of without a single onscreen
vampire bite, and the film’s only death occurring in-between scenes shown.
Blood is a source of sustenance, but also becomes another area of exclusivity,
with only a strong connection providing the type of choice. Taking the
sustenance straight from the source is for the less refined vampires.
Although genre
fans are likely to be disappointed by the lack of excitement in this
non-horrific monster movie, Jarmusch’s laid-back pacing is perfectly suited for
displaying the lack of urgency in a creature that has an eternity to live. Tom
Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton star as the transparently named vampire lovers,
Adam and Eve. At the beginning of the film Adam is struggling with depression,
even purchasing a custom made wooden bullet in preparation of a suicide attempt
which does not come. Instead, his longtime lover arrives to give him comfort.
Much of the film
is spent watching Adam and Eve lounge in their sheik home furnishings,
listening to music and pontificating about art and literature. Adam collects
vintage musical instruments, while Eve has a library of first-edition books.
They have not only collected items from their years living through them, they
also seek them out in a sense of nostalgia. This would be the entire film if it
weren’t for a brief but effectively irritating visit from Eve’s reckless
vampire sister, Ava (Mia Wasikowska).
There are other brief relationships
in the film, mostly allowing Eve and Adam opportunities to have clever
conversations with other characters. These include the musician friend that
brings Adam unique guitars that he discovers (played by Anton Yelchin), the
suspicious doctor providing him with blood (Jeffrey Wright), and fellow vampire
and legendary writer, Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt). The plot meanders
through conversations involving these characters, but little happens for much
of the length 123-minute run time. Fans of Jarmusch will be satisfied with the
hip music and cinematography that make this appear to be a rock-in-roll drug
film with human blood rather than heroin, while genre lovers would be best
suited searching elsewhere for a vampire movie.
The DVD special features include a
handful of deleted and extended scenes, as well as a featurette with Jarmusch
and a Yasmine Hamden music video.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6.5/10
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