A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Reviews

• Be a Good Boy

  ferguson-62015-01-04

  Greetings again from the darkness. This is my third "first feature" from a writer/director this week, but there endeth any similarities. Ana Lily Amirpour presents the first ever Iranian romantic vampire thriller that blends the styles of Spaghetti Westerns, graphic novels and 1950's rebel flicks, while making a social statement regarding Muslim women. This festival favorite is an expanded version of Ms. Amirpour's 2011 short film of the same title, and the use of black and white, combined with cinematographer Lyle Vincent's extraordinary photography, delivers a beautifully stark dream-like atmosphere that lends itself well to the sparse dialogue approach. Despite minimal conversation, we quickly recognize Saeed (Dominic Rains) as the ultra-arrogant drug dealer and bullying pimp, Arash (Arash Marandi) as the hard-working dutiful nice guy who sees himself as a would-be James Dean, Hossein (Marshall Manash) as the drug-addicted dad who burdens his son, and Atti (Mozhan Marno) as the aging, powerless prostitute with little hope. There is even the street boy (Milad Eghbali) who sees all and says little … and is the target of the film's most terrifying scene (and maybe one of the most terrifying bloodless scenes of any horror film). What really stands out about this low-budget gem is the seamless and effective mixing of genres. In addition to the "vampire" moments, there are a couple of the most quietly erotic scenes that I can recall (including an ear-piercing), and even a quite humorous scene with an under-the-influence Arash mesmerized by a lamp post while wearing a Dracula costume and being observed by a real vampire. The vampire is played perfectly by Sheila Vand, whose intoxicating eyes and subtle facial gestures convey all whether she is feeding her appetite, being gently seduced by Arash, or slowly coasting on her skateboard. Her only time to unleash pent-up emotions is the previously mentioned scene when she warns "Be a good boy". Otherwise, she is the lonesome vampire in search of connection who periodically weeds out the bad men – simultaneously improving society and empowering women. It's an odd production as the characters speak Farsi, but filming took place outside Bakersfield, California in a locale that fits the story town's name, Bad City. Any influence of Iranian culture is only evident through interpretation and the excellent cast. The beautiful camera work is complemented by an outstanding and unusual soundtrack … a combination that proves Ms. Amirpour's eye and feel for storytelling. The minimal dialogue approach is successful thanks to the atmospheric style and the talents of the cast (many of whom will be familiar to American TV and film audiences). It's an exciting first feature and has many anxiously awaiting the next project from Ana Lily Amirpour.

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• Style over substance

  mmobini2015-01-28

  Within the first 2 min of this film, anyone with any level of knowledge on cinema can admit to the film's "uniqueness" in style, looks and the neo-genre it is trying to create from the ashes of genres such as western and vampire. That much is evident right off the bat. and it summarizes the overwhelming high praises it is receiving in the festival world. This powerful revelation leaves you in anxious excitement to want to see and know where this journey is taking you and how it will leave you. The story happens in an imaginary city in Iran called "bad city". A very 'sin city' like atmosphere where basic human values have vanished and what is ruling this land is money, corruption, extreme misogyny and LOTS OF OIL. As a matter of fact, oil refineries seem to be the only legit functioning industry within this very bad city. One can only guess where the oil money is going to and how it is being spent judging from the state the city is in. The glorious black and white cinematography paints a very dark atmosphere that quite effectively suits the characters, storyline and the location. Almost every shot was carefully composed to the point that you'd want to pause the film to appreciate them to the fullest. The most important and powerful aspect of the film, besides its brilliant cinematography, is the vampire character: both in substance and style. Taking in the fact that chador, a tool of female oppression, is used as the vampire's cape took a while to sink in. the juxtaposition of both of those concepts, oppression and domination, made the character mysterious, powerful and quite fascinating to watch. Sheila Vand is very effective as the vampire as well. She wears a cold, inhuman and aloof face yet there is so much sympathy and curiosity within her. She hit both spectrum quite well. There is an iconic tracking scene of the vampire skateboarding on the road which cinematically is one that will always stay with me. It was purely magical. The vampire is out to get justice for all the women that are being harmed by the patriarchal system they find themselves in. in a creepy scene, she stalks an old man on the empty streets of bad city. The reversal of roles here hits the right note and it acts as very competent punch line that sets the tone for the whole film. In the end, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is in the simplest of terms "Style over substance". The film sets up a brilliant and for lack of a better word "unique" platform to explore the unexplored and to say the unsaid. However, It sadly leaves a lot more to be desired. Most of the scenes drag on for too long. If done right, silences within scenes could be a powerful tool to assert things that no word can. But this was not the case here. Such silences made the scenes drag for too long offering nothing in return. It seemed that Amirpour wanted us to take in the atmosphere and the inner-character tensions that was supposedly going on, but sadly nothing of substance could be found there, no matter how hard one tried.

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• Dead Girl Walking

  Shadowplayed2015-03-28

  This was one of the most anticipated art-house horror films. The fact it's done in Persian with Iranian director and crew absolutely peeks every filmophile's interest. Unfortunately, the hype surrounding it sometimes works against anticipated releases like this, but the wait was worth it. A Girl Walks Home...was heavily influenced by Jim Jarmusch's aesthetic, like a love letter to this director. A vampire western with a touch of romance - something I haven't seen before. Let's see if this unusual combination worked... The last few years were great for vampire subgenre, reviving it with a few films that have became instant favorites and, in my opinion, deserve their place in film history. Let The Right One In and Only Lovers Left Alive are notable examples, and now A Girl has joined them, forming fantastic trinity of style, ideas, cinematography and unparalleled atmosphere. Modern vampire subgenre works best in authentic urban surroundings, with as little action sequences as possible, focusing on loneliness, inner turmoil of the characters, existentialism and sometimes unlikely companionship between humans and vamps. A Girl has it all, adding extra cultural layer to these key ingredients. Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive have set vampire tale in Western and Eastern world both, and A Girl... paints excerpts of Iranian life. (Although filmed in California) the rest is authentic. This black&white picture offers style and atmosphere, quiet, meditative and rarely violent, it's filled with music and shadows. There is a running thread of social commentary although the town and premise are fictional. Mysterious titular 'Girl' in fictional town named 'Bad Town' stalks the residents quietly, watching them go about their routines, helping the weak and good, punishing the crooked and corrupt. We know absolutely nothing about The Girl, but there is a pattern...unlike women in Iran, she has a certain, albeit supernatural power, and she uses it to punish men who have bullied others and wallowed in vices. Even if I'm only reading into this, I thought this was liberating in the context of the culture that's old and rich but traditionally repressive against women. However, The Girl is not some feminist vigilante fixing to destroy the mankind, just like Eli in Let the Right One In, she protects those in need. Unlike Eli, The Girl does not look for symbiotic relationship with disposable humans, the companionship she forms with Arash is of different nature. Big shout out to Masuka the cat, the talent and screen presence is fantastic and adorable. One lovely and immersing cinematic experience, bravo, Miss Amirpour!

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• A decidedly unusual vampire movie

  Red-Barracuda2015-05-25

  SPOILER: I was a bit disappointed to learn after seeing A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night that it was not an actual Iranian film. Turns out it is entirely American funded and made in California, it's just that it has an Iranian director, crew and cast, while it is set entirely in the Farsi language. When I say I was disappointed it was only that I truly wanted to believe that a film with such frank scenes of sexuality was being made in Iran. There has been something of a surge in Iranian films in recent years, most prominently in the case of the excellent drama A Separation (2011) and I thought it could be possible that this was another in this cycle. Alas, but no. Still, that doesn't deter from the fact that this is a pretty singular bit of work. I suppose the very fact that it is an Iranian film made entirely with American money is in itself pretty interesting. Like another of 2014's best horror films Honeymoon, this one is also directed by a woman. Ana Lily Amirpour is of Iranian descent but born in the UK and brought up in America. I guess because of her heritage coupled with the tensions between America and Iran, many meanings seem to have been interpreted in this film. I think the truth is that this is a film with some minor political undercurrents but which takes its influences far more from cinema itself. Set in a bleak dusty place called Bad City, a settlement full of drug addicts, vice and despair, it follows a small group of characters one of which is a female vampire who roams the streets at night preying on the worst in her society. It wouldn't be unfair to say that this is an exercise primarily on style over substance. This doesn't bother me personally, as I enjoy films that embrace cinematic style. It's typified by great black and white cinematography with lovely widescreen framing. It is also a mash-up of film genres with a hero and car which evokes 50's teenage rebel films, Ennio Morricone inspired music that references spaghetti westerns, moments that recall the odd tone of David Lynch movies, the visual look of Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish (1983) and the revisionist approach to the vampire film typified by Let the Right One In (2008). When you combine all of these disparate elements together in an American film shot entirely in Iranian, the result is a very odd film indeed. I guess you could call this a feminist vampire film, in that she only attacks predatory and immoral males, while she is quite far removed visually from the slinky female bloodsuckers from many a European vampire flick (although there certainly isn't anything wrong with them!). It also plays on the idea that the Hijab veil looks similar to the garb of those traditional vampires. It is also distinctive for having bizarre details such as a prominent cat, a skateboarding vampire and a soundtrack that mixes Persian music with new wave influenced western pop. The latter being a particular favourite of our vampire lady. My feeling on the film overall is a little mixed. I really appreciated the visual style and the original aspects inherent in an Iranian vampire film, while the mix of genres did create something new. On the other hand, it begins very well and does meander in the second half somewhat. It would probably have worked better as a ninety minute movie given the slightness of the material itself. Still, it has to be praised for going somewhere new and it shows there is always a different way to approach old ideas.

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• The ingredients are amazing. How did it all turn out so bland?

  JoshuaDysart2014-11-24

  Here's how this film got me into the theater. It sported gorgeous black and white photography, was filmed in Farsi, and was a vampire art-house flick. Behind it was the apparently unstoppable hype machine powered by Vice Films (and Kino Lorber, usually a distributor worth watching) who promoted the picture beyond its actual appeal, in part with a dishonestly paced trailer. The ingredients sounded amazing. It was the perfect bait. But there's simply no there there. The marketed hallmarks that made it seem different turn out to mean nothing. Yes, it's in Farsi, but it's culturally void of anything Iranian beyond that. It's actually filmed in Bakersfield, California. and while Bakersfield comes off as starkly cinematic, the whole endeavor feels extremely western. So if you're going to catch a glimpse into an under- represented culture, you're not getting that here. It's cool that there are some great roles for Farsi speaking American actors, but it means nothing and serves nothing. Even if it had taken place inside the persian community in Bakersfield that would have been interesting enough, but that's not the case. This is a fictional, western-pulp style Iran community called "Bad Town" and it sets up a whole series of creative decisions made for their cool factor rather than for any deeper purpose. Yes, it's an art house flick, but it's least ambitious kind. It celebrates style over substance. It's about nothing. It assumes that disaffection equals cool and chooses aesthetic principles over theme at every turn. It takes stabs at greatness, imitating some of the giants of the Nouvelle Vague, Post Punk and No Wave cinema (others have cited Spaghetti Westerns as an influence, but that's only on the soundtrack) but when all you have is image and music, unsupported by character or theme, you miss what makes the greats great in the first place. Yes. It's a vampire movie. And the lead is affecting and beautiful, but it's yet another "cool" vampire narrative so soon after the great Jarmusch gave us much of the same with LAST LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. But Jarmusch is a much more seasoned filmmaker who is able, even in his most non-narrative attempts, to place emphasis on style AND character AND theme. LAST LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. LOVERS is more than a music video or a tonal exercise, GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT isn't, and it doesn't aspire to be. It's also not scary or creepy, which it obviously doesn't have to be, I'm fine with its tone, just don't go in expecting a horror film. Even still, I do long for the days of a good scary vampire movie. And so that leaves us only with the gorgeous photography by Lyle Vincent, which, quite frankly, saves the whole flick. Without it this would be an intolerable bore featuring a few really strong cinematic moments. But every shot is truly a joy and the film relies on it almost completely. If you love beautiful cinematography, than that's it's saving grace. Other bright spots. The music is excellent throughout. Sometimes it rises to even greater heights than the sequence it's supposed to be supporting, but unquestionably, the director uses music to great affect. There are some really nice little moments sprinkled throughout. The final and climactic death is an especially beautifully done piece of filmmaking and the two leads are lovely and fun to watch in their few scenes together. But in the end the movie is more tedious than meditative. It's pretty obvious it was a short film first, now stretched out beyond its means. I love the cinema of the slow, but I have to have something to contemplate if a long languid shot is to have any real hold over me. There must be something underneath the image and the music, I must feel that there is some meaning in the exercise, or at the very least that I'm seeing something fresh and different. And here there is no meaning, or if there is it's surface and barely qualifies. There's nothing really new here at all, actually. The parts seem unique but the whole is tired. I will, however, be snooping around Amirpour's future films in the hopes that her aesthetic will one day find an engine of purpose and that her cinema will have something unique to say.

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