Welcome one and all to the second instalment of "I've Never..." which is a series of articles that will talk about something that I have never seen, heard ...well you get the point. The first two articles have been about films but, as always, I encourage feedback and suggestions as to things I could write about. If there is anything you think I should watch etc leave a comment below of follow me on social media by clicking one of the links to the right of the home page.
The second instalment of "I've Never..." will talk about the 2014 film "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" I had heard wonderful things about the film and bought it nearly a year ago from Amazon. Being a father and having a full time job doesn't allow for many days off that I am on my own but, as luck would have it, that's what I had yesterday and so I decided to watch "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" and I'm really glad I did.
"A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" was written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and follows Arash in a small town, Bad City, in Iran. He works hard to support himself and his drug addicted father. A chance meeting with a mysterious young woman leads to a whole new life for Arash, The Girl and everyone around them.
The first thing to mention that the film reveals itself as a vampire film but, in the subtlest way. The film is in black and white so there is no real reliance on visceral imagery like so many clumsy vampire genre films. There is more reliance on sound design and presence rather than blood and guts in the same vein of "It Follows", "Under The Shadow" and "The Babadook" where just the thought of a dark presence is more than enough to fill the audience with dread.
The film also has a brilliant soundtrack. There is little in the way of atmospheric music, which in my opinion, is missing from modern horror. There is too heavy a reliance of tones and clangs rather than a score however, when there is music in the scene it is perfect. There is a great mix of eastern and western influenced music by artists such as "White Lies", "Kiosk" and "Federale" that blend well.
Character development is sparse however, I feel that was OK. I preferred the way the story was told in a concise way rather than bogging itself down in details and back story. I was also satisfied by the ending and the lack of definitive closure. The message of feminism is intelligently done without being too obvious. The male characters, whilst important, are over shadowed by the strong feminine presence which is a role reversal from the typical vampire film. There is sometimes a clumsy romance thrown in films like this and whilst there are undertones of love within "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" it is never really fully explored.
Overall "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" was completely different to what I thought it would be and I mean that in the most positive of ways possible. Obvious storytelling interspersed with blood and guts was replaced with an intelligent social commentary and a wonderfully written vampire film. A real must for horror and non horror fans a like.
Thanks for reading and always if you have any comments, observations or suggestions leave a comment below or follow me on social media.
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