Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013)

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hearthesilence · #1 Post by **hearthesilence** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:46 pm

IndieWire just published an image of Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston in Jarmusch's new movie.

R0lf · #2 Post by **R0lf** » Mon May 27, 2013 7:58 am

The preview needs more Lakme.

James · #3 Post by **James** » Mon May 27, 2013 11:04 pm

Looks amazing.

hearthesilence · #4 Post by **hearthesilence** » Mon May 27, 2013 11:39 pm

Awesome, but sweet Jesus, it wasn't even a big budget production and even with Swinton et al attached, it took seven years to get the money for this.

#5 Post by **zedz** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 4:11 am

This film is terrific. It's exactly what you'd hope for from a Jarmusch-directed Tilda Swinton vampire movie. Lots of lovely decadent set dressing and odd-person-out humour, but also a deep tide of melancholy. Jarmusch could have easily strung together two hours of vampire gags, Swinton and Hiddleston would have played the hell out of it, and we all would have been falling over ourselves to see it, but in addition to that they've also delivered a serious relationship drama, a poem of love and separation in which even immortals are haunted by their own mortality.

hearthesilence · #6 Post by **hearthesilence** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:28 pm

Posted by Milos Stehlik for Facets in Chicago on Facebook:

Movies I could not live without. I feel guilty about writing about this film, because most people have not seen it. It premiered just six weeks ago at the Cannes Film Festival, and will receive a general release this fall. Because it is so recent, I don't know for how long I will feel that I can't live without it, but RIGHT NOW, I would like to see it again. Directed by Jim Jarmusch (in my opinion, the most original living American narrative filmmaker) ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE stars Tilda Swinton (Eve), Tom Hiddleston (Adam) and Mia Wasikowska (Ava) as a family of vampires (living in Detroit!), this is a small but funny and totally original little film that warms your way into your heart. Things are tough for vampires. You can't get blood like you used to; supplies are low. In the Detroit Bungalow where the two very-much-in-love vampires live, Adam is a musician-composer (working by night, naturally), their idyllic life disrupted by the arrival of Eve's sister (wonderfully played by Mia Wasikowska). But this little film is not so much a vampire spoof as it is a film about artists and their role in society, as Eve and Adam are finally forced to emigrate to Tangiers (read: Paul Bowles) in search of a blood supply. I like this movie when I saw it, I liked it more a week later, and now love it. See it when it comes out.

Kellen · #7 Post by **Kellen** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:45 am

Trailer

Tommaso · #8 Post by **Tommaso** » Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:15 pm

I've just returned from the cinema watching it, in a German dub unfortunately, which however wasn't that bad although expectedly the lady who had the task to lend her voice to Swinton couldn't hold a candle to the original. Anyway, I absolutely loved it. It's only superficially about vampires it seems, but much more a critique of the shallowness of today's world and especially its unreceptiveness to art. I don't want to give away details here, but let me just say that there are some to-the-point, bitter side jokes on the music industry especially, and that these vampires seem to be much more alive and more human than the rest of the humans...

It's foremost a deeply affecting, achingly romantic love story which is curiously entirely believable in spite of it's 'unlikely' context. Acting is wonderful, and so is the soundtrack and especially the cinematography. Almost exclusively set in the dark or in twilight, the film nevertheless abounds in marvellous looking colours (mostly rich blues and browns), and the colour design would immediately get an Oscar nomination for the cameraman if this were a just world. Perhaps those well versed in (foremost) English literature might find the constant allusions to well-known works and authors a little bit tiring or too overt, but mostly it's done in a tongue-in-cheek manner which nevertheless shows how much Jarmusch cherishes this part of cultural history. All in all, a wonderful film, one of Jarmusch's very best, I'd say.

hearthesilence · #9 Post by **hearthesilence** » Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:40 pm

I agree. I almost felt that the vampire angle was incidental - without giving too much away, the real important element of that premise was that it allowed these characters to live so long. I thought the film was really about culture more than anything else.

hearthesilence · #10 Post by **hearthesilence** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:03 pm

All Tomorrow's Parties is presenting a special preview screening with a concert to follow. Trailer for event and ticket info:

Buy tickets for the event here: http://smarturl.it/ollanyctix" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Following the sold-out success of the European events in Cologne, Berlin, Paris and London, Cinema Paradiso Events are proud to be staging a new event in NYC on April 1st 2014 to launch the new Jim Jarmusch film 'Only Lovers Left Alive', starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston.

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE - Film Screening followed by Live Concert Cinema Paradiso is proud to announce an event in NYC on April 1st to launch the new Jim Jarmusch film 'Only Lovers Left Alive', starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. This will take place with an advance screening of the film at Sunshine Theater, followed by a live show at Santos Party House where musicians from the soundtrack: White Hills, Jozef Van Wissem, Yasmine Hamdan, Zola Jesus and Jim Jarmusch's band SQÜRL - will all play live.

Please wear sunglasses & leather (or fake leather) gloves to the event.

Tickets include entry to both the Film Screening & Live Concert and are priced at $35 + booking fee, available now.

Screening starts at 7pm sharp -

Venue for Screening:
Sunshine Theater
143 E Houston St,
New York, NY 10002

Venue for Concert:
Santos Party House
96 Lafayette St,
NY 10013, United States

hearthesilence · #11 Post by **hearthesilence** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:22 am

ATP also posted this on-set photo:

jindianajonz · #12 Post by **jindianajonz** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:40 am

I caught this movie tonight completely by accident, and am quite happy I did! Swinton and Hiddleston do a great job carrying the movie, and with the heavy emphasis on early Rock N Roll, urban decay, and characters taking taxis at night, there's no mistaking this for anything than a Jarmusch film. Add in some excellent photography and an occasional dose of humor, and this probably edges out Night on Earth and Down by Law to be my favorite film of his.

hearthesilence · #13 Post by **hearthesilence** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:47 am

If you're in NY or LA, try seeing the film THIS weekend. This message from one of the producers has been making the rounds on Facebook:

If you are in New York or Los Angeles THIS WEEKEND and have even considered seeing ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, now is the time and the cinema is the place.

Don't wait to stream it later. Don't pirate it. Don't even wait a couple weeks. Do your soul a favor this weekend. But Tilda Swinton said it better than I ever could:

"I started thinking about why cinema is good for the soul, and what it gives us. In a nutshell, what it is for me is this amazingly humane opportunity to put yourselves in the shoes of someone else. It’s no more complicated and no less powerful than that. You go in, it all goes dark, and you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see through their eyes. That’s just mega, it’s so powerful. Even a painter, who can do it, only can do less. A painter at one time is showing you one frame, but a filmmaker can take you into an experience and an existential atmosphere that may be a trip for you. It’s like a magic carpet. This is how I feel about cinema."

Opening weekend still really matters to films like ours.
And it's not about money.
It means people might eventually get to have this experience in Des Moines, Reno, Asheville, Bellingham, Anchorage, Tucson, Richmond, Sarasota, etc., etc. etc..

I'm too close to this movie to tell you if it's any good, but people seem to like it and maybe you will too. All I can say is, I'm really proud of it.
It's been an amazing journey with some really incredible people.
And just maybe...if it does well...we'll all get to take the trip again…

Jack Phillips · #14 Post by **Jack Phillips** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:33 am

Actually, I'm going to be in Manhattan tomorrow. I was going to see The Raid 2: Berendal, but I guess I could see this one instead . . .

hearthesilence · #15 Post by **hearthesilence** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:47 pm

I was talking to a friend of mine who's getting an MFA at Stern, and he just had a class that went over this. Opening weekend performance has a huge impact on how films get distributed down the road, everything from where it will play theatrically to licensing deals to television and other outlets. I think he said a lot of companies/broadcasters/etc. who make these deals will base it far more on opening weekend grosses than, say, projected final gross. Kind of insane how the industry's tilted in that direction, but I imagine it's only made it tougher for indies.

jindianajonz · #16 Post by **jindianajonz** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 8:22 pm

I'm sad to see this film hasn't garnered more discussion, because it really is quite excellent. I suppose only opening in two cities will do that, though.

I loved the fact that Jarmusch avoids the usual tropes for both a vampire story and a love story, and use both elements as background characterization rather than major plot points. Vampirism, especially, becomes much less of a defining trait than in any other movie I've seen- Jarmusch uses it to

Spoiler

establish the fact that these people have had plenty of time to grow comfortable in their relationship, become quite adept at a number of skills, and (in Adams case) become a bit jaded and weary of the world. Jarmusch also uses the relationship as more of a support system for these characters instead of a source of friction, and most of the conflict in the movie stems from the interjection of a third party (Ava) into their domestic life. But Adam and Eve never really develop any irritation or conflict with eachother; if anything Eve's return to Detroit helps calm Adam and lead him out of his funk. I guess this is to be expected of a couple who managed to stay together for hundreds of years.

I've also seen the line "in a hundred years the south will be burning and this city will bloom" mentioned in reviews a number of times, but I think Jarmusch questions the veracity of this statement by showing the literal poison that runs under the surface- Adam drops Ians body into a pool of acid that has found its way to a derelict parking lot. It seems that the city of Detroit has become just as poisoned as the blood of the zombies, and shows that Adam and Eve may not be the only ones who find their world being encroached upon.

Looking at Box Office Mojo, it looks like the film did very well on a per screen basis compared to everything else(though when I checked yesterday, it had been sitting at $97k- not sure why that would drop). I'm not sure how well you can relate a film that opened on 4 screens to something like Captain America that appeared on almost 4000 screens, though- anybody have a better idea of how well it performed?

#17 Post by **zedz** » Mon Apr 14, 2014 9:46 pm

The first paragraph of your spoiler highlights just why this is such a great film about sustaining a long-term relationship (a much rarer and more exotic subject for a film than mere vampires!)

Luke M · #18 Post by **Luke M** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:51 am

Finally watched this tonight via download. I'm disappointed I missed the NY screenings back in April.

Anyhow, I thought this was fantastic. Quite a beautiful looking film even for one that predominantly took place in Detroit. Hiddleston was perfect and Swinton was terrific as usual. Been a remarkable year for Swinton with this, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Snowpiercer -- if you told me last year that Tilda Swinton would be in 3 of my favorite films this year I would've laughed. Great film and I wish there was discussion more about it.

#19 Post by **swo17** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:55 am

Luke M wrote:Been a remarkable year for Swinton with this, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Snowpiercer

And you haven't even seen The Zero Theorem yet.

wllm995 · #20 Post by **wllm995** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 1:03 am

I agree that (although not being a big Jim Jarmusch fan) I really loved this film!

The music along with the cinematography along with acting - all came together in a perfect mixture of a beautiful vision.

Luke M · #21 Post by **Luke M** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 4:02 am

swo17 wrote:
Luke M wrote:Been a remarkable year for Swinton with this, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Snowpiercer
And you haven't even seen The Zero Theorem yet.

Good call. Hope to see this one soon.

adavis53 · #22 Post by **adavis53** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:09 am

Is this the first non-Criterion blu-ray of his films for Region 1? Do we have much hope of other blu-ray upgrades of his work without Criterion stepping in?

Murdoch · #23 Post by **Murdoch** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:20 am

Dead Man has a region A release.

matrixschmatrix · #24 Post by **matrixschmatrix** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 1:05 am

Yeah, but it's an Echo Bridge, which hardly counts.

AnamorphicWidescreen · Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:47 am

I'm a JJ fan, but had missed seeing Only Lovers Left Alive - until recently. After watching the film, I was surprised at how much I liked this. A gothic horror movie/love story directed by JJ was not something I necessarily thought would work well, but he really knocked it out of the park here.

Tilda Swinton was born to play a vampire - her naturally pale skin & thin features are tailor-made for a role like this. Very convincing.

As with most of his films, there is a lot of dialogue & a lot of attention paid to location, in this case Detroit. As with other JJ films, the location is another character in the film. I've never been to Detroit, but the film depicts the city as being very depressed and largely uninhabited. Not sure how true this is, but I have heard that a lot of people that used to live there left because of crime & lack of jobs, etc.

The scenes of the car driving through a largely deserted Detroit @ night brought to mind JJ's great anthology about various cab drivers in different parts of the world, Night on Earth (1991) - which also featured similar scenes.

Spoiler

Enjoyed the very last scene, with the vampire couple going up to the young couple making out, then the quick shot of the vampire's eyes & teeth - before abruptly ending. Excellent!

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