During “vampire chic’s” brief pop resurgence a few years ago, there were a handful of alternatives to Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, if you knew where to look. At the movies, Daybreakers and Only Lovers Left Alive reminded us of the subgenre’s inherent blood and brains. On TV, True Blood gave the vapors to audiences whose idea of cinematic third base was watching Taylor Lautner go shirtless. Gnawing at the fringes was A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour’s black-and-white Farsi fantasy about the relationship between dreamy-eyed grifter Arash (Arash Marandi) and the sullen, nameless bloodsucker (Sheila Vand) who stalks his town. Alternately goofy, gruesome, loathsome, and lovely, Amirpour’s feature debut examines the prison of the moment through the prism of eternity—packing more visual and dramatic intrigue into two hours than an entire soap or saga, and offering a wild children-of-the-night story for people who aren’t children.
Listen to Kicking the Seat Podcast #232 and #233 for a look at the movies of Ana Lily Amirpour--and an interview with the filmmaker herself!