Review of Byzantium (2013) by Chihoe H — 05 Jun 2014

"Byzantium" plays the long game as a vampire tale and doesn't resort to cheap tricks and illusions. It isn't a scary vampire flick but brings out the side of living an eternal life filled with a lack of freedom that one might expect longevity to bring.

At the centrefold is the touchy relationship of a mother-daughter vampire duo, played convincingly by Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan. It's dark and compelling, shrouded by a fog of mystery which starts to clear as the story unravels.

Its slow, moody presentation only adds to the realism of them having nothing but time. Now that I think about it, it is the vampire version of one of my favourite films, "Never Let Me Go," where existence is a constant questioning to the people involved.