Too often, we talk about film on a surface basis: how the film looks. We find ourselves transfixed with the visuals of the screen, the color palettes and lighting. And make no mistake, the way a film looks is incredibly important to the overall experience. But sometimes, we miss that a film, for all the glossy images and stunts and witty dialogue, is simply about feeling something. About connecting to a force greater than yourself and not thinking when you’re in the theater. Not being worried about plot holes or actor performances—just being swept away in a torrent of emotion that makes you wish the movie would never ever end. Such movies are a rare thing—even the films that people enjoy are filled with just exhilaration. A truly great film gives you the full emotional smorgasbord-every emotion, in one gulp. That’s what A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night does to you. It wraps you up in its world, and melds with your soul.
For the unaware, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is an Iranian Vampire Western. Written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, it depicts a romance between a young man in pain, and a mysterious young woman who nightly walks the streets of Bad City. While the words “Iranian”, “Vampire”, and “Western” all sound like they are solid fits for a film, putting them all together may seem a bit odd. But it’s the combination of all the elements that gives the film its power. The language, the frontier setting of the Western, and the supernatural all combine to create an atmosphere unmatched in tension. The film takes place in a small town, but what sets it apart visually are the massive structures that tilt, back and forth, throughout the film, always in the background. You feel trapped by them, unable to leave. The supernatural aspect also creates a feeling of eeriness, though not in the way one would expect. The Girl is mesmerizing not due to her actions, but due to what she does not do. She is almost a dancer in the way she moves, and the first third of the film sees her silent, more a force of nature than a character. In this way, she captivates you and provides the pure mystery and allure that vampires have lacked for some time. Even when she is emotional it is understated and subtle. She listens to music constantly, and when she decides to speak, she rarely says anything—even her main moment of introspection is said when describing what is wrong with someone else. She speaks not with words but with sounds. The title evokes a natural contradiction- In Iran (in fact, anywhere in the world), a girl walking home alone at night is a scary thing—for the girl. It brings to mind fear and weakness. But the film flips that on its’ head. Here a girl that walks home alone at night is something to be terrified of, and hypnotized by at the exact same time.
The film itself hypnotizes you as well. It’s filmed in black and white, which may seem odd at first glance, but it contributes to the natu
re of the film: both unsettling and emotionally pure. The world becomes simply shades of grey (much like the characters in the film), and everything is laid bare. Another important aspect (if not the most important aspect) is the music. The film is in Farsi, subtitled in English, and when dealing with a foreign film (though it’s actually an American film), dialogue can be a hurdle to overcome. The best dialogue is fluid and melodic, and no matter how well-crafted it is, it can be hard to do that in just subtitles. Fortunately, Amirpour understands that, and makes the sound itself the way characters communicate. A mixture of well-timed music and intervals of silence, the sound expresses the emotions of the characters in a way most films wish they could achieve. It’s incredible to hear, and little wonder that everyone after the film wanted the soundtrack. The music is haunting and tragic simultaneously, and every moment of silence hits you like a sledgehammer to the heart. It’s a work of beauty.
To write down every reason why A Girl Walk Home Alone at Night is brilliant would take up a novel. It’s one of the rare films that understands how perfectly to blend together disparate elements and create a film that takes you into its world and doesn’t let go. Armipour’s deft helming makes a concept that could be considered ludicrous a beautiful film. The only word that can be properly used to describe it is masterpiece.
Rating: It’s art. (10/10)
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