{"id":1565,"date":"2015-04-24T14:56:49","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T18:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=1565"},"modified":"2026-10-09T10:16:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T14:16:51","slug":"only-lovers-left-alive-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=1565","title":{"rendered":"Only Lovers Left Alive-2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only Lovers Left Alive-2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director Jim Jarmusch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott’s Review #237<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Only_Lovers_Left_Alive_English_film_poster\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed April 24, 2015<\/p>\n

Grade: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) is a bizarre trip into the strange and unusual world of vampires.<\/p>\n

The film moves slowly but becomes hypnotic, drawing me into the plot, though the plot itself seems almost secondary to the film’s gothic mood and dark ambiance.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who I find mesmerizing in every film role she appears in, the methodical film never completely bored me and, at times, even fascinated me.<\/p>\n

Set in the present, Swinton and Tom Hiddleston play vampires named Adam and Eve, lovers separated by distance. Adam is a musician living in a vast Victorian house in Detroit, and Eve resides in Tangier.<\/p>\n

Realizing that Adam is lonely and suicidal, Eve makes the international trek to the United States to be with her love.<\/p>\n

As they settle into a quiet existence immersed in music and thought, Eve’s rebellious sister, Ava (Mia Wasikowska), from Los Angeles wreaks havoc on their lives.<\/p>\n

Also in the film is John Hurt, who plays Marlowe, an ancient vampire who assists Adam and Eve, who succumbs to sickness from tainted blood.<\/p>\n

The film is a creative, atmospheric offering from edgy independent film director Jim Jarmusch, known for left-of-center fare like Broken Flowers (2005) and Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), both visual and visceral achievements.<\/p>\n

While I didn’t completely love this film, I felt the story is its weakest point; the magical, beautiful arrangements almost make up for it.<\/p>\n

Set entirely at night (when vampires are awake) and featuring several shots of Adam and Eve posed naked or almost naked in lovely, artistic angles, I think the film aims as much for a “look” as for storytelling and doesn’t fully center on the plot.<\/p>\n

It is also a lovely romantic film, though not in the typical sense of silly misunderstandings and comical moments, but rather in romantic artistry, as Adam and Eve connect spiritually.<\/p>\n

Married hundreds of years ago, Adam and Eve have been inexplicably separated by thousands of miles and coasts, though the reason is not explained.<\/p>\n

Why are they the few remaining vampires alive? Does the human race know they are vampires or think they are odd-looking people?<\/p>\n

They both have money to burn and pay a high cost for being vampires, as they either pay a contact to steal blood from hospitals to survive or obtain the blood elsewhere.<\/p>\n

They are tempted to bite humans but resist those urges.<\/p>\n

The film doesn’t explain why they are two of the few vampires left in the world, or answer other questions. Adam, supposedly a famous musician, is wealthy beyond words and lives in a haunted-looking mansion surrounded by music and musical instruments.<\/p>\n

The plot holes, of course, are secondary to me. None of them matter.<\/p>\n

The film has beautiful moments; it is musically centered, and Adam and Eve share tender dances on more than one occasion. The film is a pure love story, but a very left-of-center one.<\/p>\n

I admire the film’s creativity and its willingness to go where most filmmakers dare not. Jarmusch dares to be different and deserves much praise.<\/p>\n

My main critique is the pacing; the story barely matters, as the film feels more like an art experience than a “mainstream” film with a strong plot and focus.<\/p>\n

Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) is a different type of film and one worth admiring.<\/p>\n

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: <\/strong>Best Female Lead-Tilda Swinton, Best Screenplay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only Lovers Left Alive-2014 Director Jim Jarmusch Starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston Scott’s Review #237 Reviewed April 24, 2015 Grade: B Only Lovers Left Alive (2014) is a bizarre trip into the strange and unusual world of vampires. The film moves slowly but becomes hypnotic, drawing me into the plot, though the plot itself seems … Continue reading Only Lovers Left Alive-2014<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,192,201,12022,41,211,222,12103],"tags":[6775,2635,4682,3845,3044,12843,2251,4683],"class_list":["post-1565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2014-films","category-dramas","category-fantasy-films","category-gothic","category-indiefilms","category-indie-dramas","category-romantic-dramas","category-vampire","tag-anton-yelchin","tag-jeffrey-wright","tag-jim-jarmusch","tag-john-hurt","tag-mia-wasikowska","tag-slimane-dazi","tag-tilda-swinton","tag-tom-hiddleston"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1565"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24750,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565\/revisions\/24750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}