Simple and unique. The story here is one we’ve seen before. Another vampire / human romance. But they keep it very interesting with a bizarre setting, an amazing art style and elegant storytelling. For those who want my score without any spoilers, here it is:
8/10
Highly recommended!
The full analysis with spoilers to follow:
As I said, the setting is intriguing. I loved the strange mix of Iranian culture and 1950s Americana. The two opposing ideas meet in Bad City, creating a perfect backdrop for conflict to unfold.
The art style is very simple. Many movies try to be artsy by shooting black and white, but I rarely feel the black and white is necessary (Nebraska). Here I felt that it was justified. The lack of color creates a striking contrast that helps to highlight their superb character designs. The Girl is so iconic, I feel like she could be a logo for their production company. Seeing her as just a black triangle gliding down the street on a skateboard was one of the best images in the movie. I wish they’d used the skateboard a little bit more.
The storytelling here is top-notch. I say story-“telling” but they don’t overtly tell you anything. They show everything, never relying on lazy exposition through dialogue. Many scenes feels almost like a time lapse, showing the characters slowly morph into something new without a need for any dialogue.
I have to highlight two of my favorite scenes. The first is when the Girl rides home on her skateboard for the first time, black cloth billowing behind her. Without a single word they establish through image that she’s a dark, unconventional superhero, flying away to scare someone else into being a good kid or to stop another injustice in Bad City. While she clearly protects women as a priority, I’m going to suggest a theory of mine. Judging by her manner of dress, I think she may be protecting traditional Iranian values from the influx of 1950s Americana. This of course creates conflict when she becomes fascinated with a man (the protagonist) who could easily be the moody Iranian version of Fonzie (NOTE: this theory is probably a bit premature, and I should go watch the movie a third time before making any thematic conclusions).
The second scene occurs when the protagonist and the titular Girl go back to her apartment. Without any kissing or cheesy sex scenes or awkward dialogue, we see the development and growth of their budding relationship right before our eyes. The Protagonist glides up behind her, slowly moving closer and closer along with the hypnotic music. Just as slowly, the girl turns around. We see her make the decision to leave him alive as she bares his neck but then leans her head on his chest. We see a visual metamorphosis of the characters as they both make life-altering decisions, without any dialogue required.
The movie isn’t without flaws. The pacing is very slow. While I loved many of the scenes that take their time to develop, there were a few that I felt could have been shorter. This film definitely isn’t for everyone and could come off as boring and pretentious. You’ll be disappointed if you come in expecting blood and guts. You might even be disappointed if you come in expecting another Babadook. But if you want to watch a simple and elegant picture about unique characters developing against a backdrop of subtle horror, this is the film for you.
8/10
A final note:
I loved the visual reference to Breakfast at Tiffany's at the very end.
