Many Americans, like my wife, would prejudge
an Iranian Vampire movie and think that it is just another run-of-the-mill B
rated international film. And I would agree with that prevailing school of
thought based on the lack of blockbuster Iranian vampire movies in the
marketplace or any good Iranian movie for that matter, but after seeing A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, I now
dissent from popular opinion. The movie hits you with a compelling cast of
characters, a mood and atmosphere that is iconic for its genre, and even weaves
into it a forbidden love story. One Hollywood reporter said, "This moody
and gorgeous film is finally more about atmosphere and emotions than narrative
-- and none the worse for it."
One is immediately
captivated with the beautiful cast of young characters. Sheila Vand as The Girl
does a wonderful job of playing the seductive vampiress who fights off her
instincts to kill Arash for his life giving blood in exchange for the hope of
them eventually becoming a couple. Although it is not too uncommon for the
modern day, cold-blooded killing vampiress to catch a case of the conscience,
this captivating flick still maintains its uniqueness in other elements of the
film.
Milad Eghbali, TheStreet Urchin, adds an endearing component to the movie. The young boy is
someone that you feel sympathy for immediately as he panhandles for money. He
is a poor street-wise kid that is trying to survive on the street. A moment of
truth in the movie is when the lives of The Girl and The Street Urchan
intersect on the street. This is one of the better scenes in the movie as
viewers are momentarily suspended in anticipation hoping that the vampiress has
mercy on the young, innocent boy. The Girl is following the boy and when she
finally confronts him, she has an opportunity to take his life for a
time-honored vampire motive; a tasty human treat to alleviate any between meal
vampire hunger pangs. However, moral turpitude was pushed aside by her
conscience and she decided to scare The Street Urchan into being a good boy and
said that she is always watching him and will come back for him if he
misbehaves.
Even though The
Girl does voluntarily perform noble acts of community service like killing
Arash’s nemesis, the drug dealer - Saeed, the plot soon thickens when she kills Arash’s
father - Hossein. Arash is overtaken with extreme grief from the loss of his father and
while in this emotional fog convinces The Girl to leave the city with him. As
she is packing her belongings, Arash notices all the jewelry and watches that
she has collected. This tips him off that she is the killer and took all the
jewelry from the bodies of her dead victims. He starts driving with her out of
town and pulls off the side of the road and has what appears to be a moment of
clarity. He is at a moral crossroad. The viewer is led to contemplate if he is going
to confront her about her sins, leave her, or just move past it like it never
happened. The movie ends with Arash getting back in the car and driving off
with her. We are left to assume that he forgave her and moving forward with his
life.
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