Review of “Byzantium”
- Jim
- Nov 2, 2017
- 1 min read
* * * B
Byzantium is a horror film most reminiscent of Ann Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Two sisters are forced to flee to a new home when the elder is attacked by a mysterious man and kills him. They return to the place where their lives began, the seaside town of Hastings in East Sussex, which looks like a poor man’s Black Pool.
As they make their lives, Clara (Gemma “Gretel” Arterton) in the worlds oldest profession, and Eleanor (Saoirse “the Host” Ronan) attending school, Eleanor narrates the story of how they came to be. Back story and the present day come together in the climactic conclusion after Eleanor reveals their secret to a boy, Frank (Caleb Landry Jones).
The acting is excellent, the plot well written. This film is surprisingly underrated, possibly because it is fairly slowly paced. For me, the pace fit the kind of story it was. There are no superhero moments in this film, no exploding heads. Rather, the core of the film is the horror of living forever and never being able to let anyone really know who you are.
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