A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014) VAMPIRES IN MIDDLE-EAST ASIA. MOVIE REVIEW.

Original setting

The vampire genre is one of the oldest and most recurring in Horror and has proven to be one of the most versatile. Vampires have been through everything from aristocrats living in great castles in the past to hunters for hire on apocalyptic worlds of the future. The results range from movie classics to frankly forgettable bombs. Showing an original story is a difficult task. In A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour, with her very particular view, manages to deliver an exquisitely stylized and strange new story.

Vampirism in Asia Middle-East

In a small and fictional town in Iran called Bad City, lives our nameless vampire named simply The Girl. A fan of 80s music, the Girl walks the streets at night stalking, looking for new victims, crossing paths with all kinds of people. Meanwhile, Arash, an ordinary young man, has trouble paying for his father’s drugs, his father addicted to heroin. Because of this, the town’s pimp takes his car from him. Later, the Girl meets the same thug and this will lead to the Girl and Arash crossing paths.

Atmosphere over story.

The story is quite simple. Ana Lily Aminpour focuses more on the atmosphere of vampire stories and what it is like to live a hopeless life with few aspirations in a small and forgotten town. It is a strange blend of horror and sociocultural issues. Being filmed in just 24 days, clearly shows that Aminpour had a very clear idea of what she wanted to achieve. All through the film, we can see the examples of the influences Aminpour had. From the dreamlike David Lynch’s sequences to the dark sense of humor and lonely characters in desert cities from the peculiar Jim Jarmusch. This strange mix of elements is put together perfectly by Aminpour, achieving a melancholic, ethereal story of how two lonely souls can come together to form a fatalistic love story.

Versatile she-vampire.

The story is full of quirky characters, desperately wanting to stand out from the monotony of Bad City. And the actors perform this group of weird and sad people convincingly. Sheila Vand, who plays The Girl, stands out as the teenage-faced vampire. Being able to look mysterious in her long black veil that covers her skinny body, frightening when she attacks her victims. But she also looks like any ordinary gothic girl preparing for a party, slowly dancing to her favorite music. On the contrary, Arash Marandi, like Arash, is expressionless, unable to convey any emotion.

Iran in black and white

Filmed in a beautiful and splendid black and white, that emphasizes the desolation in which the town finds itself. This was a great stylistic decision. The art design is very well made too. Even though the story takes place in Iran and all the characters speak Farsi, it was a surprise to discover that the film had been shot in its entirety in Taft, a small town in California. Also, the film being a kaleidoscope of styles and genres, the music could not be left behind. They adequately combine a typical horror movie score with Middle Eastern and electronic music and, indie songs from the 80s

Not for everyone

With the well-achieved artistic aspirations, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, is aimed at vampirism fans who enjoy films like Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch 2013) or Let the Right One In (Tomas Afredson 2008); but it will not be to the liking of those who prefer more youth-oriented vampire films like Underworld (Len Wiseman 2003) or Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke 2008). Aminpour has made a film that is not to scare audiences. It requires the viewer to appreciate. and let be immersed in a well-constructed and mysterious atmosphere that the vast majority of the films of the genre would like to achieve.

Delirium Score