Review of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) by Cole J — 19 Dec 2015

I really enjoyed the unique atmosphere of this film. It doesn't create its world out of set pieces and costumes, rather, through the cinematography. Each shot has deep blacks and dark shading that pull you into the alternate reality that is Bad City. While relatively slow paced, the film always had my attention because of its unique look and intriguing story.

Thankfully, this isn't a film that coasts solely on its visuals. The vampire story is highly original, even if it channels Let the Right One In at times. I really liked Sheila Vand as the vampire, who rides around on a skateboard, stalking and sometimes killing the people of Bad City. Vand can be terrifying at times, but she strategically reveals depth to her character when she's alone listening to music and when she develops an attraction for the boy.

The tone has a wide range: gothic, at times oddly romantic, at times scary. It balances these tonal colors perfectly, very assured of what it wants to be, even though it wants to be like nothing we've seen before.

I liked how the film used a minimal amount of characters who we get to understand the town through. Each feels like they serve a unique purpose to the story.

It felt like the film ended on a cliché even though it's not a familiar story. I feel like if there were more vampire movies, it would become more obvious, and I can't go into what it was because spoilers, but for the rest of the film feeling so unique, it was the only part that was a little obvious. It's the same way that the town being called "Bad City" is obvious.

From the film's first shots, I became quickly engaged in director Ana Lily Amirpour's one-of-a-kind universe and remained engaged until the credits. It's nice to see a movie that stands out so prominently from everything else, and in a way that's enjoyable to experience.