Fascinating filmmaker Jim Jarmusch gives the world his take on vampires with Only Lovers Left Alive, a moody drama that reunites him with Broken Flowers and Limits of Control star Tilda Swinton. As you can see in the above trailer, she and Tom Hiddleston front the film as a pair of long-time lovers. As they are vampires, we're talking eras-long.
Written and directed by Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive focuses on the latest rendezvous of far-flung husband and wife vamps Adam and Eve. He's a brooding musician living in Detroit and driven to create but depressed by the fame that inevitably follows. She's a glamorous muse luxuriating in Tangiers where the blood is fabulous and the atmosphere is luscious. When Adam's world-weariness begins tipping him toward thoughts of suicide, Eve rushes to reinvigorate him. But their reunion is spoiled when her bratty and reckless little sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) shows up for a surprise visit, and begins flirting with Adam's only human friend (Anton Yelchin).
This was my absolute favorite film at this year's New York Film Festival, and the trailer up top gives a good sense of its sensual languidness and rich mood. But one thing this trailer leaves out is just how wonderfully funny Only Lovers Left Alive is. This was an element I didn't expect from its setup or the one lone image that was released months before. But, as I wrote in my review, "For a film that deals in death, depression, and desperation, Only Lovers Left Alive is shockingly effervescent and funny… While some moments are silly, Jarmusch is careful never to fall into campiness. Instead, Only Lovers Left Alive plays out like a family dramedy wherein the family just happens to be vampires."
Sony Pictures Classics has secured Only Lovers Left Alive 's domestic distribution rights, but hasn't yet announced a release date. However, prior to the press screening last month, we were told to look for this eccentric film in theaters next April. While we wait, check out the swoon-worthy stills The Playlist has collected.
Is anyone cooler than vampire Tilda and Tom? The answer is no.
