Only Lovers Left Alive
Dir: Jim Jarmusch
2013
*****
Jim Jarmusch's 11th feature length film is also his most sublime to date. It feels like a true amalgamation of his earlier stories and ideas with the maturity and mastery of which he has reached. Our two lovers (played wonderfully by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleson) are centuries old Vampires living but barely surviving in a modern world. This gives an immediate contemporary feel to a timeless story. The Vampires are Vampires in the classic sense but the film really focuses on what it would be like to be immortal, rather than biting people and turning into Bats etc. The lovers are intelligent and talented and have a wealth of knowledge but are unable to share it. They refer to humans as Zombies, which is an interesting twist on what both Vampires and Zombies represent, indeed the likenesses exist in all creatures to some extent. The almost deserted Detroit adds an eerie realism to the film, as it is now the perfect place for a Vampire to hide but is also the source of great sadness to someone who has lived and traveled the world for centuries. Jarmusch explores the idea that everything changes over time but also that everything somehow feels the same, you can be one thing but never really escape who you are. That and companionship, love, music and wearing sunglasses indoors will always be the coolest things. Truly brilliant performances and stunning direction, a future classic in my opinion.