Only Lovers Left Alive

Cult writer-director Jim Jarmusch brings his idiosyncratic style (slow-paced and deadpan) to this vampire movie about ultra-cool bloodsuckers (including Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlowe, played here by John Hurt)—who have survived over the centuries not just by quaffing down the necessary amounts of sanguinary fluid, but also through living unobtrusive though highly artistic lives. The titular lovers are vampires Adam (Tim Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), who have been devoted to each other literally for centuries. Eve lives in Tangiers but goes to visit Adam in Detroit when the latter grows suicidal after being disgusted at living in a world of “zombies” (i.e., mere humans). The couple enjoy an idyllic time together, which mostly involves sipping high-quality blood from exquisite long-stemmed sherry glasses, sucking on frozen bloodsicles, and engaging in name-dropping about famous old friends whose artistic triumphs they revere. But their peace is shattered when Eve's wild sister (Mia Wasikowska) shows up, greedily devours their blood supply, trashes Adam's prize possessions, and kills a young human who's been serving as Adam's lackey. Her antics force Adam and Eve to flee to Africa, where they must locate a new source of sustenance if they are to survive. A thinly-disguised parable of addiction that is presented with a smug certitude regarding its own hipness, Only Lovers Left Alive will appeal to Jarmusch devotees, who will no doubt find it dreamy and hypnotic, but others are likely to consider this pretty but dull. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Traveling at Night with Jim Jarmusch” behind-the-scenes featurette (50 min.), deleted and extended scenes (26 min.), the music video “Hal” by Yasmine Hamdan, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a somewhat enervating film.] (F. Swietek)