The Jim Jarmusch directed Only Lovers Left Alive is a movie that blends the genres of horror, drama and romance just as much as it blends the talents of contemporary acting greats like Tom Hiddleston (Thor: The Dark World, The Avengers), Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin, Moonrise Kingdom) , John Hurt (Doctor Who, V For Vendetta) Anton Yelchin (Star Trek: Into Darkness, Fright Night) and Mia Wasikowska (Stoker, Jane Eyre) and it all comes together quite cohesively into a movie that stands out from the countless blockbusters bursting onto cinemas this time of year.
The movie follows long-distance vampire lovers Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton). Eve begins the movie living in Tangea with her close friend, Marlowe (John Hurt) whilst Adam has been pursuing his reclusive musical career in Detroit. However after discovering that Adam has fallen into a creative slump and grown disillusioned with the world, Eve flies into visit him and from there the film is all about exploring the depths and breadth of the centuries-old relationship between the two characters – with the infrequent presence of human rock groupie, Ian (Yelchin), and Eve’s sister, Ava (Wasikowska), keeping things interesting.
Both Hiddleston and Swinton do a superb job of portraying a style of vampire that is both somewhat relatable and yet, still very alien to the viewer. While they sleep during the day like traditional vampires and their need to drink blood is obviously quite important to their characters, these are far from their defining characteristics. I liked how the film really captured this sense of desolation when it came to the eternal nightscapes that it’s characters inhabited and Adam’s quirk of frequently referring to humans as ‘zombies’ really grew on me over the film.
Both Adam and Eve have adapted to the 21st century and acquire their blood supplies through places like doctors and blood banks rather than seduction or indiscriminate murder. This is important because it lets the movie puts a greater focus on the way that living for so long (some would even say too long) has evolved and developed the relationships that bind together these fascinating characters, rather than waste screentime on the shock value that other vampire movies provide. Hiddleston does a great job capturing the utter disillusionment of someone who has lived through the romantic antics of Byron and Mary Shelley only to witness the corporate banality of today’s industries – that said, Tilda Swinton is the real scene-stealer of the movie. Where Hiddleston plays a character who is intellectually and emotionally weighed down by his years, Swinton plays Eve with an unparalleled youthful fervor that really brings the movie to life.
Given that Adam is himself a reclusive albeit-talented musician, it’s no surprise that the film’s soundtrack (done by Sqürl and Josef Van Wissem) is definitely one of the most distinctive things in the movie. The film’s main theme music stuck with me long after seeing the movie and it captures this dark gloom and perpetual sorrow that inhabits the film’s dark imagery of Detroit. The film’s solid soundtrack and cinematography is accompanied by superb direction on the part of Jarmusch and I really liked the films motif of vinyls that it used to hint at the way that eternity has warped the film’s vampiric cast.
Some might find Only Lovers Left Alive to be a bit of a slow movie but I found the deliberate pacing to contribute to it’s appeal. The film is all about character for whom time has lost meaning and as a result, it’s under no pressure to unfold the scope of its narrative. It’s a movie that takes its time and never for a moment distracts you from the fascinating characters that Hiddleston and Swinton portray.
Only Lovers Left Alive isn’t for everyone but if you’re looking for a more thoughtful kind of vampire story, it’s definitely worth going out of your way to see.
7.5/10
Fergus Halliday