Trailer Review: Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)

A new trailer has appeared online for Only Lovers Left Alive, a new offbeat drama directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as two vampire lovers who reunite after a long separation.

The movie is set in both Detroit and Tangiers and focuses on the relationship between the two main characters. Hiddleston plays Adam, a centuries old vampire and reclusive rockstar who is unable to become accustomed to the modern world. Instead of engaging with the outside world he prefers solitude and avoids contact with people. His ex lover, Eve (Tilda Swinton) who is also a vampire senses that Adam is depressed when the two talk on the phone. She worries about him and decides to board a plane to Detroit and the two are reunited. Their happy idyll is quickly ruined however when Eve’s volatile and crazy little sister, Ava (Mia Wasikowska) shows up at Adam’s home unannounced. Ava is a loose cannon and her erratic behaviour endangers everyone she comes into contact with. Adam and Eve attempt to rekindle their relationship and also find a way to get rid of Ava.

Hiddleston and Swinton look great in their roles and they are perfectly cast here as old, anachronistic vampires with big hair and pale skin. The film also stars Anton Yelchin, John Hurt and Jeffrey Wright. Jim Jarmusch has a talent for good casting and he always elicits good performances from the actors he works with.

Only Lovers Left Alive is a cross between a love story, comedy and drama. It also has a similar plot to another vampire film called Kiss of the Damned which was directed by Xan Cassavetes and released last year. The trailer is intriguing and entertaining as it depicts Adam and Eve as two misfits who don’t really belong in the modern world. They spend a fair bit of time indoors enjoying each others company and also wandering fairly deserted streets at night. The viewer is given the impression they are catching a glimpse of a secret world the vampires occupy which is hidden from the humans. This impression combined with the rather eccentric performances by the actors is beguiling and hopefully the feature film will be worth a look.

Interested film fans can catch the film when it is released on February 21st, 2014. Check out the trailer and share your thoughts.