[7.9/10] Only Lovers Left Alive is a mood piece. There is a plot. Things happen. There’s conflict and challenges. But it’s mostly stylish emo vampires hanging out in filthy but impossibly cool locales contemplating the eternal quandaries of life. I don’t have a problem with that. I wouldn’t exactly call this a hangout movie exactly, but it’s a film you’re meant to luxuriate in, rather than steadily consume, and it fits that bill.
To that end, it is a profoundly languid film. Writer-director Jim Jarmusch spends plenty of time letting his scenes unfold. Entire songs go by with minimal cuts. Conversations are allowed to linger and meander. Moments can stretch until they’ve exhausted themselves, unburdened by plot or pace. I hesitate to call a movie centered on a couple of heroin chic vampires down-to-earth, but there’s a strange, open-hearted naturalism to the picture that gives it an inviting atmosphere.
That approach works for the subject matter. Our protagonists are a pair of intertwined immortals. There is Adam, the semi-suicidal musician who feels that the “zombies” (read: humans) have polluted the Earth and their own blood, and is seemingly ready to give up on this world. There is Eve, his distaff counterpart who takes a wider view, marveling at the majesty of nature and evincing the sense that what falls will rise again.
With an opposing black and white color pallete between them, they seem to represent the optimistic and pessimistic sides of existentialism, views born by their longevity and sense of having seen and done so much. That pace, then, suits the two of them. That’s particularly true for Adam, who’s afflicted with ennui. In that, the slow rhythms of the movie work for his spiritual and emotional lethargy. There is the sense that for someone who’s lived so long and witnessed all he has, the world has become a bore, the goings on around him unimportant and uninteresting. Jarmusch conveys his low-burning disgust and detachment from all this decaying wasteland.
But it also allows him to represent the equal and opposite view in Eve, who means to savor the beauty, nurture kindness and friendship, and drink in the beauty and wonder of this place. For her, that pace lends itself to appreciation, to a mindfulness of the beauty of a song or the contemplation of a gong-sound-emitting diamond in the sky. Only Lovers Left Alive anchors itself on beings who have all the time in the world, and paces itself to match. That’s a good and creative choice.
It’s also interesting to see what choices Jarmusch makes in terms of what vampire lore to keep and what to jettison and what to invent from whole cloth. These vampires still shun the light and need to drink blood, but other traditions are changed or slanted. They’re still vulnerable to stakes, apparently, but the prospect of a wooden bullet seems just as likely to do Adam in if he so chose. And they can enter without being invited, but it’s considered very bad luck, to say the least.
There’s also rituals and consideration. They all wear gloves, with the touching and biting of hands seeming to be an intimate introduction. Moreover, they can become sick and die, depending on what kind of blood they drink and whether they have any at all. The pollutedness of human blood is taking its toll, to where the major players have to lean on doctors for “the good stuff.” With it, they seem to enter an almost drug-like state of euphoria, and without it, they too may perish from starvation and exhaustion.
That threat is interesting, because it disrupts the seemingly true hindrance to these vampires’ lives -- an excess of comfort and a lack of challenges. There’s the sense of Adam in particular having the freedom to do anything but wanting to do nothing, while Eve tries to rekindle his passion for the world and joy and really anything. There’s the sense of the two of them as a pair of functionally drug-addicted rockstars, free from obligation, but with one finding it freeing and the other left anhedonic.
Despite that, there’s a clear bolt of the romantic between the two of them. Some of the film’s most enjoyable stretches feature the pair bounding through Detroit, roiling or reveling in the history and future of this shell of a city. They light each other, in exploration and in slumber, with a lived-in affection that channels centuries spent in one another’s company. The sweet familiarity livens the picture when it needs it most, making the time spent with the two of them inviting and warm despite the sunken-eyed pallor of it all.
But even that hint of bliss is punctured by the arrival of Eve’s sister Eva, whose reckless hedonism introduces death, conflict, escape, hardship, and even desperation in the couple’s lives. Only Lovers Left Alive features a few too many cutesy references about hanging out with Byron or living through the Inquisition, but there’s pathos when that path leads them to witnessing their friend, the former Christopher Marlowe, dying from a lack of good sustenance.
In his final moment, the film evinces a sense of hidden purity. Adam doesn't want to be publicly associated with his music, whether in the present with his emo rock “funeral music” or centuries ago when he was sharing it with Schubert. The vamps decry Shakespeare as an illiterate charlatan, but seem to take more joy in the words themselves persisting apart from whose name attaches to them.
With that comes the ultimate irony of the film. Jarmuch’s vampires think them so above the “zombies.” Adam finds life with them such an unappetizing proposition that he makes plans for suicide. They view themselves quite superior to the mortal artists who borrow their works and seek only the glory. As highfalutin as they are about science and beauty and their wincing at its corruption, they’re not quite ready to abandon the world that contains it or give up their comforts when push comes to shove. Instead, they sink their teeth into that beauty, to sustain them enough to prolong their ennui or existential savoring a little longer.
As slow-moving as Only Lovers Left Alive is in that effort, it works as an experience, a luxurious world of pallid, impossibly stylish immortals there to unpack the great mysteries of the universe. It’s less a story than a visit with some peculiar friends, quietly hypocritical but unique and fascinating nonetheless. It’s a film about a look and a feeling and an atmosphere, born by those no longer bound to a mortal coil, but strangely relatable in its world-weary, wonder-seeking splendor.
Great flick. Perfect entertainment. Worth to spend lifetime
Music in the movie is brilliant, I can't wait for the soundtrack to come out. The movie in itself is very good. Artsy, but you'd expect that from Jarmusch. It's still worth the watch. It's not a typical, trashy vampyre movie, and I love that. I like the story, the way it's told, and the acting is superb (Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston are perfect for their roles). The only downside is it's very slow-paced.
If there was a movie for art students who want to feel self-absorbed, then this is it. A bunch of vampires name drop, listen to music and mention that they had dreams. Lots of references about time because vampires are old. Lots of parallels of vampires and humans. Nothing original. The main vampire is a fed up monotone reclusive artist who is often too intellectual to say most descriptive sentences simply. Cringey effort from Jarmuck.
So beautifully dark and romantic and devastating. Love the slow pace, the passion and the feeling of tragedy just around the corner.
La mejor película vampírica que he visto en bastante tiempo, con poesía y cultura lograron un amor eterno, las locaciones se ajustan por completo y el rock y el blues la complementan de manera espectacular.
I can't believe no one's mentioned Jeffrey Wright's performance in this!! It might be my fave extended cameo ever.
BEAUTIFUL
A++++ would watch again
loved it ♥
This is quite the calm film that's much more about humanity, rather than anything else.
I put this film off for some time due to the fact that I'm allergic to vampire flicks. Hence, I did something wrong.
This is, mainly, a Jim Jarmusch film. If you haven't seen his stuff, do. This is a great addition to his little canon.
Swinton and Hiddleston play two vampires, 3000 and 500 years old, respectively, who live in our current day. This does not mean they'll start sprouting a lot of awe-inspiring Shakespearian words, and their history is surprisingly left to its own devices, i.e. letting the viewer think rather than have everything served on a platter.
You get to do a lot of thinking on your own in this film. Not that you have to. The film flows and drowses through time, radially, even from the very first scenes.
It's more an experience than a film. The music's great. It's almost existential, this one.
So bittersweet. Reminds me of, "Coffee and Cigarettes," in tone and number of cameos. And, adds meaning to that episode of, "What We Do In The Shadows," (S01E07).
Someone else posits this may not work without Hiddleston & Swinton, but, I counter...this prolly doesn't work without a healthy dose of dopamine, injected now and then during the performance (come on, if you're not feeling it then the experience will be shallow, so wait for another day).
What a unique movie! If I am being honest I don't know if any of this works without the considerable talents of Swinton and Hiddleston. Not much happens in this movie but the viewer probably doesn't really care. Just seeing the two leads interact with each other and struggle to fit into human culture is enough. I don't know if this movie would be better or worse if had had more of a plot.
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I was honestly worried by the premise of a love story between two intellectual vampires who have been fostering human culture for centuries, but it’s clear that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. Despite being a melancholic and contemplative film with psychedelic overtones, Jim Jarmusch’s distinctive sense of offbeat humor keeps things down to earth and never obnoxious. While Hiddleston plays the poète maudit, the suicidal rockstar, Swinton is, on the contrary, the hippie vampire who teaches him the gift of life. These two opposite forces keep balancing each other for the whole film, even though it’s not at all difficult to understand which side the director prefers. If compared to all the vampire garbage that has been made in the last 30 years, it almost felt like a masterpiece. Still, I was expecting some more stimulating considerations other than the usual whining about modern society and the self-destructive nature of mankind.
Jim Jarmusch delivers a 100 minute music video judging by the soundtrack and the style, but also judging by the acting and the script.
A fantastic modern take on the Dracula theme. The only negative comment I have is that the introduction of the characters is just a bit too long, but I am aware that is a style choice.
The not really a vampire movie vampire movie from Jarmusch. Visually rich with some tasty performances by both leads and the supporting cast. Soundtrack is very good and the music used effectively throughout the film.
Loneliness, contempt for the time we live in... A truly work of art. Their characters are so unbound to the time that makes you imagine how strange but intriguing it would be live forever.
The world may change but these two vampires stay the same, forever in love and life, superior to the 'zombies' who populate the decaying townships.
A good film for the patient. There is little gore, no horror and not a lot going on. Its existentialist, melancholic, lyrical and beautiful in the face of death.
Swinton, Hiddleston and Wasikowska are magnificent.
Interesting but it didn't really rock my boat.
That's what the whole genre of films about vampires need! A fresh look. This unique, dreamy atmosphere just haze. Sometimes even a bit too much.
The best vampire movie since Låt den Rätte Komma In
I enjoyed myself quite a bit with Jim's alt rocker vampires. There are some clichés in there but just the direction alone makes it different. If one thing was a bit weird than it were the comedic inbetweens but this makes it a bit broader for the audience. It helps if you enjoy the music so these two hours felt like nothing (they even go to a White Hills concert).
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2014-05-21T21:57:56Z
Only Lovers Left Alive was another vampire tale but not quite like the ones that have been presented to us over the last years. This is actually a very "vampiresque" film and it is exactly what we pretend in a film about vampires.
The atmosphere is absolutely perfect! We never see the light of a day, the sadness and heaviness of death is always present, afterall the characters are actually death of course. The pace may not be the best always and what's more interesting about this film, even with the lack of some content you actually never lost the interest and you wanna see more about the characters and where they will end up. The style also contributes to drag us inside of the film and it wants to deliver some messages about todays society.
The performances are great. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton gave very interesting and deep performances. Afterall this is their film, there's not much of a story in it, it's just about two lovers, two vampire lovers which their love resists through centuries and they will be connected forever no matter what.
Only Lovers Left Alive is true romantic film and I see it as a romantic Ode. A film to triumph love in general.