Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – Desolation, isolation, love

The review in Romanian can be read on Koolhunt.ro – here.

Actors: Tom Hiddleston , Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt
Director: Jim Jarmusch

Edgeandback: 8.5/10

“Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful…”

Although Lana Del Rey composed and sang this tune for The Great Gatsby, it stuck with me for all thought and purpose for “Only Lovers Left Alive”. This year I waited for two vampire movies: Neil Jordan’s Byzantium and Jim Jarmusch’ vampire story set in Detroit and Tangiers. I’ve seen them both and thankfully for us movie goers who expect more than teenage constructed romance and vampires with a bite, OLLA saved us all. It brought charm, sarcasm, poetry, desolation, isolation and love back on the map and has the potential to become a cult movie. Above all else…love.

It’s not hard to do so. You need a good script and a passionate crew. Thank God for the actors, thank God for Jarmusch who stuck to his guns and fought for this movie to see light.
In Romania we can see OLLA this week during the Films de Cannes a Bucarest festival After that we can hope but as you might know by now, it takes more than hopes and dreams to make something become reality and I’m a believer of this philosophy.

Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) are made for each other, two kindred souls who have traveled through the ages, have fought with constant change, depression, lost dreams and hopes and gained them back. These two actors were made to share the screen. The maternal, constant rock of support that’s Eve matches Adam’s brooding, romantic and sarcastic side. They’re the only lovers left alive.

Wit and charm are the ingredients that make these characters attractive and passionate. You enjoy their banter, like an old couple who knows every quirk and twist in their relationships and can salvage anything even if for the viewer it seems almost impossible. Adam desolation is healed under Eve’s love and comfort. They do have to hold their composure and endure Ava’s (Mia Wasikowska) impetuous presence.

At the first glance, Adam’s moody behavior might seem a reminiscence from Anne Rice Louis yet Jarmusch script, Hiddleston’s presence and acting abilities, make the character natural, burdened by years of watching the humanity torn itself to shreds and continue its evolution. It’s a process that fatigues him, it makes him feel out of touch with the changes and the degradation of the human life. Swinton’s Eve comes like a balm, like a friend, like a mother, like a wife. She infuses back the sharp wit and playful banter, she triggers back the survival instinct and the passion. In touch and out of touch with the new technology yet passionate like no other souls for the culture and love.

Culture and love keep them going.

Only Lovers Left Alive makes you forget other vampire movies of the past decade. It’s sharp written, clever stylized and the cast does wonders with every scene. This is the movie you don’t want to miss, the movie you might actually go above and beyond to go and watch.

When I came from the screening, I wrote the following: “Only Lovers Left Alive“ seduces your senses and wins your heart by feeding your mind with wit and charm. And love that transcends this age fashion. It‘s pure and brilliant. It‘s sad yet frisky. It‘s love in its most sincere form. For better or worse, in sickness and in health till death do them apart, Adam and Eve remain the only lovers left alive.” 24 hours later, I felt the same way about this movie. For the Eves who stuck by our Adams and brought back the spark when darkness became unbearable.