Only Lovers Left Alive Review - NP Approved

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Country: UK | Germany
Genre: Drama | Horror | Romance
Official Site: Here

Editor’s Notes: Only Lovers Left Alive opens in limited release today, April 11th. 

I have a confession to make: I have never seen a Jim Jarmusch film. Many have told me that Jarmusch caters to my cinephilic tastes, yet in spite of these recommendations, I have eluded his entire filmography. I took a small step to rectify this injustice by watching his recent film, Only Lovers Left Alive, which was a bittersweet moment (bitter because I couldn’t believe it took me that long to watch a Jarmusch film, and sweet because the film defied any expectations that I previously constructed).

…updates the vampire into a contemporary setting: there is an immortal/classically romantic musician with a suicidal outlook, his devoted henchman who traverses the underground music scene, and his hypnotizing and free-spirited wife who commands your attention with her blank stare.

Only Lovers follows a married vampire couple, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton). The two are madly in love with one another, yet they live in opposite ends of the world. Adam possesses the gifts of science and music, while Eve possesses the gift of carbon dating. From a distance, their union is perfect, yet the introduction of Eve’s sister, Eva (Mia Wasikowsa), throws their balance off track and they stumble to regain their equilibrium. The plot doesn’t rely on the conventional mechanics of character arc, closure, etc (after living as an immortal, I doubt there is much room for growth or closure). Instead, it relies on character interactions, exploring how they live in the moment. The film wanders about, taking its time to explore rather than fixating on a particular destination.

What I admire about Jarmusch’s work – or rather what I admire about what I have heard of Jarmusch’s work – is that he plays with generic conventions and expectations. In Only Lovers, Jarmusch updates the vampire into a contemporary setting: there is an immortal/classically romantic musician with a suicidal outlook, his devoted henchman who traverses the underground music scene, and his hypnotizing and free-spirited wife who commands your attention with her blank stare. Jarmusch also updates another creature of the horror genre: zombies. The outside mortals are constantly referred to as “zombies,” evoking a post-apocalyptic denotation as well as a cultural wasteland connotation. The dichotomy of the vampires and the zombies establishes an “us vs. them” notion, one that is transposed from its horror roots into a conditional situation of brooding existentialism.

I would argue that this existentialism is examined primarily through visuals of spinning objects and circles. 

I would argue that this existentialism is examined primarily through visuals of spinning objects and circles. This may sound weird, but I was entranced by how many times Jarmusch used spinning objects in his film (the credits open with a spinning sky, which promptly transforms into a spinning record on a turntable). Whether it is the magnetic tape recording Adam’s music, Eve’s spinning in her apartment, or the camera spinning around the corners of Tangiers, this infinite loop serves as a metaphor for a perpetual existence, one that must eventually be interrupted by someone or something. The film ends with a discussion of Eisenstein’s theory of quantum entanglement, leading back to the idea connectivity and infinite loops, and ending with a truly horrific (if not comedic) moment between Adam and Eve.

The film also explores another intriguing aspect of the vampire myth: the cult of celebrity. The characters seem to shun reminders of their immortality by giving their works to other notable figures: Adam gave an adagio to Schubert, while Kid (John Hurt) gave his plays to Shakespeare. They shun the recognition, but remind themselves of the lasting effect. Nowhere is this more brilliantly depicted than with Adam’s wall of celebrities, which features the faces notable artists such as Buster Keaton, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, and Krzysztof Kieslowski. It is a constant reminder that even though the body may perish, something immortal can remain and have a lasting effect. It is sadomasochism on an existential level. Who would of thought of creating something so subtle, yet so magnificent?

Like the myth of the vampire’s gaze, the film hypnotized me and still haunts me. But it was Jarmusch’s direction/execution, Swinton’s crazed performance, and Hiddleston’s brooding romanticism that kept me chained to my seat. I do not know what kept me from watching Jarmusch’s films, but this experience definitely quelled that internal force. Only Lovers gave me a glimpse of Jarmusch’s ability to defy generic and narrative expectations, and like the vampire’s thirst for blood, I definitely want to see more!