Review of Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) by Elijah S — 25 Oct 2014

With this film I have officially popped my Jim Jarmusch cherry, to use a slightly vulgar euphemism. Other than my general awareness of Jarmusch as a luminary in the indie film world, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now having seen this, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. While not as fast-paced and narrative-driven as most of the movies that I'm usually drawn to, it had a laconic and meandering quality that allowed me to immerse myself in the world it created. It was laconic, meandering, esoteric, sensual and a whole other host of adjectives I could use. The cinematography was beautiful; the music was ethereal and trance-like; the dialogue was deep, erudite and offered insight on a variety of subjects.

At this point, I suppose I could describe the a plot a little, but it wouldn't really do the film any justice since it was a lot more than a mere story. The two central characters, Adam and Eve (Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton), are two vampires who have been around for centuries. Eve lives a simple life in Tangiers with her friend Marlowe (John Hurt), while Adam is living the life of a hermit in Detroit and does his best to stay away from the "zombies" (what he calls regular people). He also composes music and collects rare instruments, which he obtains with the help of Ian (Anton Yelchin). The basic portrayal of vampires in this film is not unlike what most people would consider a "hipster." In particular, Adam has a preference for older, finer things rather than newfangled technology, an analog person in an increasingly digital world. In a way, despite being a vampire he is probably more in touch with humanity than we are, and since he's essentially ageless he has a perspective that humans will never have. This, in my opinion, is the most important and worthy observation in the entire film, that we as a species should take the time to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life instead of being "go, go, go" all the time. In her small but important role as Eve's sister Ava, Mia Wasikowska gives an embodiment of this tendency. In general, the characters were well-developed and the acting was excellent.

Still, the film is not without flaws. For one, despite all the interesting observations, a lot of them felt overcooked and obvious, especially when coming from the mouths of beings that were centuries old. I also wasn't too enamored of the glacial pacing. Granted, the long takes did allow me to fully take in the beautiful sounds and sights, but it still could have been a little slimmer. Also, while not necessarily a negative, the opening sequence made me really dizzy and I didn't exactly recover from it during the course of the film. Overall, I did enjoy the film, if more so on an aesthetic level than any social or cultural commentary. This film is definitely not for everyone. People who like their movies to have more punch or pizzazz, or be more narrative-driven, might find this to be a little boring. But for what it's worth, I feel like this was time and money well-spent.