One part horror, one part romance, one part social commentary, all parts awesome; A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is an Iranian vampire film written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour about a lonely vampire (Sheila Vand) roaming the dark streets of Bad City. Heavily inspired by French cinema—which is evident in the soundtrack, fashion, and cinematography—the film was also shot in black and white, harkening back to its roots in Nosferatu (1922), the original vampire film, and Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi.
Amirpour’s creature of the night trades in a cloak for a chador (full-body cloak), though the effect is very much the same as Lugosi’s high collar and cape as it whips in the wind. Traditionally worn by Muslim women, the chador (a type of hijab, meaning “covering”) is typically worn as a sign of modesty. In this case, however, it becomes the Girl’s disguise—a way for her to protect her identity while stalking the sordid denizens of Bad City on her skateboard and doling out vigilante justice. Talk about taking back the night!
That is essentially the extent of the Girl’s life until she meets Arash (Arash Marandi), a relatively good guy* who likes to play it cool while splitting his time taking care of his junkie father and a mesmerizing tabby cat. While the two first cross paths (literally) at a drug dealer’s apartment, the sparks don’t really fly until the Girl comes across Arash a second time—dressed as Dracula and high on ecstasy—proving once again that all all great romances begin with a costume party (Romeo and Juliet, Donnie Darko, How I Met Your Mother).
*As a sidenote, I call Arash “relatively good” because I’m pretty sure he steals that cat at the beginning.
Along with the thematic elements from classic vampire films, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night reminds me of Donnie Darko, Amelie, and Let the Right One In… you don’t get the gratuitous origin story of how long the Girl has been living her bloodsucking lifestyle, she just lives it. This ambiguity surrounding the Girl’s past is aided by Vand’s performance, whose expressively gorgeous eyes hauntingly convey a sense of stoicism that tells you all you need to know about the character.
There was one scene that broke the mood for me, involving a pimp/drug dealer (who looks like Ninja from Die Antwoord) dancing seductively to techno music that implemented a sound effect resembling farting noises. Sampled farting techno aside, the soundtrack—which ranges from Iranian indie rock to English post-punk—is actually pretty great. Honestly, though, if the phrase “vigilante skateboarding vampire” doesn’t get you to watch it, I don’t know what will.
