So along comes another vampire story in a time when we seem to be drowning in vampire stories. The question is, what can this one give us that we haven’t been given a few dozen times already. The answer, unfortunately, is “not much”.
BYZANTIUM is about mother and daughter sucrients (fancy word for vampires) posing as sisters. Clara (Gemma Arteton) poses as a prostitute, earning money to keep them afloat in whatever manner best suits the situation. Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) was turned at age sixteen, so it’s her lot to ever appear as a student and not arise suspicion. While they both kill when necessary, Eleanor has turned into something of an Angel of Mercy – taking the lives of people who are infirmed and ready to shuffle off this mortal coil. These people, one could say, are inviting death. As we see them try to settle into a life in a seaside town, we’re told how they were born into darkness, and what it is that got them this far.
The film is a beautiful mess. It is visually rich and includes some neat twists on the classic genre tropes, unfortunately it is also wickedly blunt on too many occasions. The worst offender of this exercise in obviousness is Eleanor’s dialogue, where she has to underline every sentence with a second sentence of unnecessary explanation. Case in point, a moment when she sits at a grand piano and begins playing a classical piece with ease. When asked how she is able to play from memory she says “I don’t forget anything. It’s my curse” (Because she’s a vampire. Get it?). Its unfortunate since a little more grace would have really given the film a better overall effect.
At least the film comes armed with a handsome aesthetic. The titular hotel the film is set in provides an old-world touch to the proceedings, with its hand-operated, gatefront elevator going to good use. The hotel is a distant second though to the island on which the vampires of BYZANTIUM are turned. Not only is it such a unique vision for the whole mythology – one I’ve never heard of in a vampire story before – but its key elements of a cave and a waterfall are indelible. They go a little too far with the waterfall at one point (Clara basks in it in a rapturous state), but it doesn’t take away from their visual prowess.
BYZANTIUM is so damned close in so many ways, that I’m disappointed that I feel disappointed. Had the film been given just a bit more forward momentum, or for that matter assumed that its audience had seen a vampire film before, it might have had something. Instead, it spends a lot of time on a badly broken narrative, and dressing up schlock in elegance.
10 comments
Stevee says:
Sep 12, 2012
Ah, this one interested me (mainly because of the pairing of Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan), but then again, who needs another vampire story? It does look pretty nice, though.
Ryan McNeil says:
Sep 13, 2012
My friend Tom has noted that it seems like the film spent more time and energy making sure Arteton looks great than anything else…so if that does anything for ya, you’re in for a treat. Probably best just to stay home and rewatch LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.
Sean Kelly says:
Sep 12, 2012
I love the actors, but the film was kind of dull.
Ryan McNeil says:
Sep 13, 2012
Sorta felt like the movie thought it was more mysterious than it actually was, doesn’t it?
sati says:
Sep 12, 2012
Sorry to read this one isn’t the greatest, though I still can’t wait to see it – Ronan is always wonderful and the last vampire movie made by Jordan is my favorite vampire movie ever made
Ryan McNeil says:
Sep 13, 2012
It’s not terrible, and Ronan can make pretty much any role interesting. Between the two, I prefer INTERVIEW, but we’ll discuss it more when you do finally catch up with it.
Donn says:
Sep 16, 2012
I completely agree with you on this one. In my screening, the producer made the mistake of introducing the film by asking us to think of Interview with the Vampire while watching the movie so I couldn’t help but watch it in that context. After the movie, every time somebody asked me about Byzantium, I describe it to them as “a mediocre Interview with the Vampire, set mostly in modern time, with women, instead of the two men, in the lead roles”.
Overall, I enjoyed it (mostly because of the visuals) throughout its runtime but found it ultimately shallow and forgettable after.
Ryan McNeil says:
Sep 17, 2012
It’s funny, a lot of people I talked to afterwards quite liked it – especially its second half. Maybe I lowered their expectations a little?
So you were thinking of INTERVIEW, eh? I found myself thinking about a pair of Jordan films that I love – mostly for their visual splendor: THE GOOD THIEF and ONDINE. Of course, BYZANTIUM doesn’t measure up to either one of those, which was just one more reason why I wasn’t fussed.
tyrone says:
Sep 20, 2012
I don’t see Elenor saying “it’s my curse” as explaining to the audience that’s she’s a vampire.
Elanor is weary of an existence that requires her to do the things she does and make the sacrifices she makes in order to survive.
Wouldn’t it be natural that someone in such pain would emote in such a way and emphasize the reasons for their gloom?
Ryan McNeil says:
Sep 22, 2012
Welcome to The Matinee, Tyrone!
“It’s my curse” wasn’t a deliberate explanation, but it did unnecessarily emphasize the previous line.
When she was playing the piano, and the guy came over to start talking with her, there was already a weary sadness there. When he pointed out that she was playing so beautifully from memory, she could have just said “I don’t forget anything” and we would have immediately understood that her memory was a power/gift/side effect that came with being a vampire. Most of us would also think to ourselves, “Shit, remembering everything? That has to suck sometimes”
But before we can even think that, she nails it right on the head: “It’s my curse”
It’s a line that doesn’t trust the audience.