Indie director Jim Jarmusch (Broken flowers) is back, breathing new life into the Vampire genre. Tom Hiddleston fresh from playing Loki in Thor and Avengers Assemble is Adam, a reclusive musician making a living as a dark tortured artist. Imelda Staunton is Eve, a brighter altogether more educated bloodsucker who leaves her exotic home to save the suicidal romantic from a downtrodden Detroit City.
Only Lovers Left Alive is worth watching for Swinton and Hidldleston’s performances (I dare you to not fall in love with Hiddleston’s darkly troubled romantic) alone, and the two actors bring a timeless quality to their characters, perfect when it comes to playing immortals.
As the title points out this is a film about eternal love and that one soul-mate who understands you better than anyone, the vampire aspect is a mere sub-plot. John Hurt is great, but underused as Marlowe, his speech in the final quarter of the film reminds us why he is such a celebrated actor.
As is usual for a Jarmusch movie, the plot is thin and the action is sparse, but this is an atmospheric piece about the philosophy of love. I won’t pretend it isn’t self-indulgent, but the leading pair are magnetic and the atmosphere the film creates left a long lasting impression.
To a cynic it could be perceived as two hours of pretentious nonsense with no story and a poor narrative. As a film fan Only Lovers Left Alive was perfect and I could have easily watched another four hours. For someone who understands the pain of being a suicidal recluse in love with their own sins this is a magical piece of film making.