A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT **** (vo Farsi) Thrilling, tender and tongue-in-cheek, this B-movie is simply a work of art. Even if you’re not into vampire movies, this sumptuous black-and-white tale will pull you into its dark, mysterious world of lonely people living in a ghost town named Bad City. A sort of Sin City genre. With her first feature film, California-based Ana Lily Amirpour, a young Iranian/American writer-director, makes a strong impact and has picked up quite a few awards in various film festivals, starting off at Sundance and Deauville.
The mood is hypnotic, the feel is of such retro works as Coppola’s The Ousiders with Matt Dillon, Robert Rodriguez’s first Desperado or the magnetism of a cool Tarantino. Though Amirpour has kept the framework Iranian, with Farsi dialogue and modern-fusion Persian music, it’s quite obvious that it was filmed in the US. This melange of cultures gives it that extra punch, especially with the attractive second-generation Iranian cast playing their characters to the hilt.
I personally keep away from horror flicks, but this story of a young vampire in a chador (Sheila Vand) is strangely delicate and touching, especially when she falls for the handsome protagonist (Arash Marandi), a bit of a James Dean look-alike. Despite the drugs and prostitution, Amirpour has given her film a radiance and innocence that is quite unforgettable. She is definitely a talent to watch.
Catch it at the Cinema Grutli before it’s gone!
(Photos – Praesens)
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Germany and Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers