Romancefest 2018: Only Lovers Left Alive

It's always exciting when it's time to see a Jim Jarmusch movie I've never seen before, so I was pumped to see ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton star as a couple long undead vampires who, instead of feeding on humans, rely on getting blood from suppliers, like drug dealers. As the movie starts, they've been living apart, but the soon reunite in Detroit.

Hiddleston, a musician, is depressed and ready to check out, so Swinton attempts to bring some joy back into his life, before her sister (Mia Wasikowska) shows up and ruins everything by roping one of Hiddleston's fans (Anton Yelchin) into things.

Like most Jarmusch movies, the strength here is the tone. Things unfold slowly and languidly, but that's perfect for a story about bored vampires who've been alive too long. Also, as usual, Jarmusch nails a perfectly dry and sarcastic tone, with Hiddleston, in particular, giving great line readings that drip with so much contempt they can't help but be funny.