An unthinkable number of vampire stories have already appeared in popular culture. Can you say something new on this topic, and if so, how? Jim Jarmusch presented the audience with his view of immortal creatures.
Jim Jarmusch's film "Only Lovers Left Alive" was released on Russian screens this spring. The plot is based on the story of two vampires with the speaking names Adam and Eve, played by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. By the way, one of the roles in this picture was played by Mia Wasikowska, known for "Alice in Wonderland" by Tim Burton.
From immortality to boredom
Vampires don't surprise anyone now. In this regard, the film does not shine with originality and offers one of many views on the image, erased to holes in the cinema - but the look turned out to be harmonious and original. Refined intellectuals, who have learned over many centuries of life to value art above all else, are in no way similar to wild creatures with an animal thirst for blood (they, of course, drink blood, but they get donor blood through established channels). He enjoys the aesthetics of decadence, holds a pistol with a bullet capable of killing a vampire by his bed, collects musical instruments and records his own music behind tightly drawn curtains in a gloomy cottage on the outskirts of Detroit. She befriends the poet of Shakespeare's times Marlowe (another vampire), wears light-colored clothes that blend in color with the walls of the alleys of Tangier, and stuffs several suitcases with her favorite books, going to visit her immortal lover.
They laugh at Byron, talk about Tesla's unrecognized inventions, scoff at people and fall asleep in a plexus of white bodies on black sheets. They are hopelessly tired of their own immortality.
The rhythm of their existence - unhurried, viscous - is disrupted with the appearance of the younger sister Eva, who is far from being so peaceful, does not know moderation in "food" and entertainment.
Aesthetics and more aesthetics
The plot of the film is rather unpretentious and is not designed to tie the viewer to the chair with tension, although it has its own dramatic moments and sharp turns. Another thing is important here: the atmosphere. The carefully selected, smooth, uniformly styled shots are also mesmerizing: the darkened, cluttered dwelling of Adam, the sterile whiteness of the hospital, Eve's room furnished with oriental luxury, the cream walls of Tangier. Pale faces framed by matted hair: black and curly - Tom Hiddleston, light almost to white - Tilda Swinton, something really inhuman (vampire? Alien?) Beauty of both. And a bright spot - traces of someone else's blood on the lips.
Thanks to the magnificent soundtrack, music becomes one of the main characters, it fascinates and immerses you in what is happening.
If it were necessary to describe this film in one word, perhaps the word "beauty" would be more suitable. He is unlikely to appeal to fans of action, suspense, drama; do not watch it in fits and starts in between cases. But for those who are ready for a two-hour immersion in the world of creatures tired of immortality, pensive melancholy, detached contemplation and still conquering the thirst for life, the film "Only Lovers Left Alive" will bring true aesthetic pleasure.
