DVD Review: Only Lovers Left Alive

Synopsis: Adam, a centuries old; reclusive; world weary vampire musician, and his other half, Eve, navigate the moments in between drinking blood.

Review: Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive is a character, setting, and soundtrack driven vampire film — the sort of movie The Hunger would have been if David Bowie had written it himself. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton superbly portray two fragile and artistic souls who need art and each other as much as they need blood. They and their dear old friend Christopher “Kit” Marlowe (John Hurt) weather a world where most humans hear sounds and words without meaning. The actors are aided by atmospheric location night shoots in Detroit, Tangier, Hamburg, and Cologne. Those settings are essentially additional actors in the film.

I’m the audience for this movie. I adored the fact that Shakespeare was Marlowe’s beard, a theory bandied about by scholars for years. It also warmed my heart that Shubert was a beard for Adam and that he spent time with Byron and the Shelleys. Also, the love for classic rock, underground rock, and world music came through in every scene. The reverence with which Adam and Eve treated Adam’s guitar collection was worth the price alone.

This film is a marvelous alternative to both Twilight and The Strain. It’s available on Blu-ray, DVD, and V.O.D now.

Cast:

Tom Hiddleston as Adam

Tilda Swinton as Eve

Mia Wasikowska as Ava

John Hurt as Marlowe

Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Watson

Anton Yelchin as Ian

Slimane Dazi as Bilal

Yasmine Hamdan as Yasmine

White Hills as themselves