Review of Nadja (1995) by Eric R — 20 Apr 2012

A Dreamy, poetic, odd, yet always interesting vampire tale by Michael Almereyda. Stylistically as always, Almereyda does a lot with a little, from the portrayal of the vampires' physical attributes like speed and super strength, to using old close-up footage of Bela Lugosi to portray Dracula.

I really liked the use of the insanely crappy, pixelated view to capture the intoxication effect of being under the influence of a vampire. While I hate criticizing a film for being too self-indulgent, as I think it tends to be criticism that is overused without merit, this film is just so self-indulgent.

. Also, I found the characters and subsequent performances to be too subdued for my taste, though I guess some of that could be credited to the alienation and disconnect that many of the characters in film experience with the world around them.

Honestly, I am not entirely sure what type of mythological commentary Almereyda was trying to make and I really don't care. This all being said, the film has some pretty great comedic moments, taking advantage of an old school story taking place in modern times-Nadja introducing her slave so nonchalantly to the caretaker for example.

Peter Fonda as Van Helsing, while also rather one-note, is fun to watch. It's definitely my least favorite Almereyda of the three I have gotten around to seeing, but it's definitely still interesting.

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