THE FILM
I first watched Ana Lily Amirpour’s directorial debut in November at the St. Louis International Film Festival. Her heavily stylized “vampire-western” set in the fictional crime-ridden Bad City impressed me immensely. I even went so far to call it “the best vampire film since LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.” I still stand by that conviction. But to go a step further, upon watching the film a second time for this review, I feel that the film has a unique power that forced me to see the events that unfold from a different viewpoint. During the first viewing I found myself relating more to the male lead Arash. He’s cautiously optimistic but a little green behind the ears. More or less, he’s still figuring out what Bad City is. The second time I watched A GIRL WALKS HOME… I found myself viewing the film more from the perspective of the nameless “Girl.” You are aware of what the city is capable and what you have to do to survive in it. This power shift is intriguing and just adds another layer to a film that relies on more than just its unique style.
Amirpour gives us a vampire that is more akin to the indie, shoegaze, romantic hipster that you would see at Urban Outfitters or what might be a trend among the youth in Iran. The retro new wave music combined with Ennio Morricone flourishes gives the film a slight air of self-awareness without feeling like just conceit. Though an emphasis is placed on maintaining a disquieting mood through music and lush black & white photography, A GIRL WALKS HOME… is not without an ample amount of subtext.
Throughout the history of horror cinema, women are frequently shown as victims, potential victims, or just bat-shit crazy. So to hear of a girl being helpless and alone at a time of the day when she (traditionally speaking) shouldn’t be, turns much of what Amirpour is presenting into a feminist statement against the idea of the “girl” in our culture. Her motives are simply to survive and do what she has to to live through another night. It just so happens in her situation that survival is dependent on the death of another. Amirpour mirrors this with the damage the male gangsters and drug dealers do to the citizens of Bad City. A barren creek bed is frequently shown from a distance with bodies piled in it. The fact that no one mentions the strange killings or even utters the word vampire in the film illustrates the real world problems Amirpour is speaking about. Death is abundant and always present regardless of the presence of a supernatural creature. Showing a girl walking alone at night, fearless even with death all around her, is a foreign concept to the idealized image we often see in a horror movie.
I have no doubt that A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE… will only grow in stature as others begin to discover the beauty and power of this film. Thankfully Kino Lorber and Vice Films has composed a proper Blu-ray to further appreciate this horror gem.
*Still is not representative of Blu-ray quality
THE BLU-RAY
The Blu-ray release of A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT features a striking 1920x1080p video transfer with an aspect ratio: 2.35:1. The rich photography is presented perfectly, showing a wide range of grey skin tones and textures, with deep black levels and warm white highlights. Details come across and yet there’s still the stark contrast that Amirpour incorporates in some shots.
Audio is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Music and sound effects often take precedence over dialogue, making some of the dialogue sound softer than it should. The film is all about the music though, and with that in mind, the audio soars. “Death” by the band White Lies never sounded so good as it does here in the bedroom scene between Arash and the “Girl.”
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT Blu-ray includes a generous helping of extras:
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
This is exactly what it sounds like. You aren’t going to find people talking to the camera in a slickly produced featurette. This is strictly raw footage shot on an iPhone showing them filming certain scenes, making the molds for the vampire teeth, conducting rehearsals, and applying makeup. They are divided into separate videos that range from 1 minute to 10 minutes, or you have the option to “PLAY ALL.” There are seven of these in total and none of them are particularly that interesting, even if you are a fan of the film.
Q&A Hosted by Roger Corman at the Hammer Museum
This 44 minute interview took place between the legendary producer/director and director Ana Lily Amirpour on January 13, 2015. Corman and her start off by bonding over taking LSD for artistic enlightenment. She comes across as thoughtful and intelligent in this interview, and yet you can tell she’s a little taken back by the fact that Roger Corman is gushing over her film. She reveals quite a bit about her life leading up to the film and about the making of the film – the original runtime was 3 hours and 40 minutes. There are quite a few intriguing quotes in this interview. One in particular is where she delves into the oil fields as the background landscape for the film. She describes the oilrigs as “large monsters that suck the blood from the Earth to fuel this larger system.” In the same sentence though she reveals that she is fully aware that she is part of the system, driving around like an “ant.” Amirpour even talks briefly about her next film: THE BAD BATCH – a cannibal film set in Texas that will be shot in color and in English. Towards the end of the on-stage interview, Amirpour turns the table on Roger Corman and gets him to talk about shooting LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS in 2 days and 1 night.
VICE Behind-the-Scenes Documentary
This is an energetic and well-produced look into Amirpour’s influences and thoughts about the film. Much of the footage is filmed in her apartment and includes executive producer Elijah Wood. The two clearly share a special bond for the film and their conversations are fun to watch. She reveals her love of David Lynch which was somewhat assumed already given some of the visuals in the film. One standout moment includes the reveal of a large timeline that Amirpour did to document the vampiric history of the “Girl.”
VICE Meets Ana Lily Amirpour and Sheila Vand
The female star who plays the “Girl” and the director sit with a VICE correspondent in a round table setting. Clips and stories from Amirpour’s previous short films are touched upon as well as her talking about her journey to finally make A GIRL WALKS HOME… (she has written 12 scripts and almost made a cockroach film). It’s a lengthy 31 minute interview but results in some interesting discussions. The three of them are extremely laid back and as a result give this interview a fun but honest tone.
Deleted Scenes
There’s 12 deleted and extended clips for your viewing enjoyment. Most are rather quick and meaningless (one shows the “Girl” buying makeup or another shows the young boy singing) while others are more significant (one shows the young lovers lying on bed discussing music). Several include the drag queen seen with the balloon in the movie. It’s as if a whole subplot involving her journey was cut out.
Collectible Graphic Novel with essay by Eric Kohn
A deep and insightful essay introduces this nicely packaged book. Kohn delves into the deeper meanings behind the film in an articulate but direct voice. The book then includes two comics released in late 2014 that dip into the backstory of the “Girl” and fleshes out her character. Given the fact that graphic novels were an influence on Amirpour, it makes perfect sense to see her character come to life on the black and white page as well.
Still Gallery
Trailer
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE is now available on Blu-ray.
