The Babadook - Unsettling, Demented.....Scary

I have been anxiously waiting to see the Australian indie horror film The Babadook for months.  The film received widespread critical acclaim after it premiered at Sundance last year.  Since then it has flown under the radar and recently I finally had the opportunity to sit down and watch it.  For the first time in years, I felt incredibly unsettled while watching the film.  The dark, ominous house in which most of the film takes place contributes to a heavy sense of dread which is ever present throughout the movie.  The depression and subsequent psychological issues felt by the two main characters is a constant force which weighs heavily on the viewer and contributes to the overall sense of doom which permeates each and every scene.  The films protagonists, Amelia and her son Sam have been trying to maintain a normal life after the death of Amelia’s husband on the way to the hospital the night Sam was born.  Since then, Amelia has never been the same.  Deeply depressed and wallowing in regret and resentment, Amelia’s demeanor has no doubt rubbed off on Sam his entire life.  Sam has trouble sleeping and has psychological issues, undoubtedly from living with a mother who subconsciously blames him for the death of her husband.  After Sam asks Amelia to read him a strange pop-up book from his bookshelf entitled “Mister Babadook” things begin to take a turn for the worse.  Slowly, Amelia and Sam fall prey to a dark entity that is constantly following the two, day and night.  Despite Amelia’s attempts to destroy the book, the evil tomes message remains true… “You can’t get rid of the Babadook”.  The concept of the pop-up book I found to be wonderfully demented.  Such an innocent child’s toy is used to represent unimaginable horrors as the book changes to reflect the Babadook’s increasing influence over Amelia.  While instances of “shock” are few and far between, the films strength is in its ability to convey a sense of dread.  The viewer is sucked into the sleep deprived paranoia that begins to fuel Amelia’s descent into madness.  Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide who and or what the Babadook is.  Left open to interpretation, the meaning behind to monster’s sudden appearance is something which adds to the unsettling feeling throughout the course of the film.  While this often doesn’t work (at least in my opinion) here it is absolutely necessary.  This isn’t a demon.  It isn’t a ghost or a poltergeist.  It’s not a physical being.  It’s all of those things and none of them at the same time.  It manifests in situations where it can thrive and thus becomes a direct product of the hatred and resentment which exudes from Amelia herself.  In a way, she is the Babadook.  Or at least that was this viewer’s humble interpretation.  You’ll have to sit through the uneasy fright fest yourself to form your own opinion. 

Only Lovers Left Alive - A Different Take on the Vampire Story

                The Vampire story has been done to death (pun intentional).  Movies, TV, books, virtually every platform there is has been dominated in recent memory by peoples fascination with the blood sucking Dracula descendants.  That being said, there are still some films which tackle the genre without giving in to popular demand for violent action sequences like in Underworld, or teen romance and alienation like in Twilight. 

                Such is the case with the British/German film Only Lovers Left Alive which takes on the vampire myth similar to the first season of True Blood in which the focus is heavily on both the history of the vampires themselves and who they are as people.  The film focuses on Adam and Eve played by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton.  The couple has lived for centuries and has had a hand in influencing many great works of art and music as well as breakthroughs in the fields of science and technology (Adam’s house in the abandoned slums of Detroit is run by technology he helped develop with Nicola Tesla).  Despite all their achievements, knowledge, and wealth, the two have become increasingly disillusioned with not just life, but humanity as a whole; particularly Adam who frequently refers to humans as “zombies” and sees them as mindless drones incapable of any true creation or discovery.  Adam goes so far as to ask a human boy who routinely acquires rare musical equipment for him to get him a wooden bullet as he sits alone in his home and contemplates suicide.  After a quick video call to his wife Eve who has lived the past several years in Tangier, he convinces her to return from her extended holiday where she has spent time rapidly pouring through endless stacks of books.  The two have moved beyond the need to feed on humans and instead get sustenance from a blood bank where Adam has paid off a doctor.  After increased attention from locals, and an unwelcome visit from Eve’s younger sister Ava who is both immature and unpredictable, the two decide to return to Eve’s home in Tangier.  After arriving the two pay a visit to Eve’s source of blood, an ancient vampire named Christopher Marlowe (played by John Hurt) who gets them their sustenance from various sources.  However, they find a sickly and dying Marlowe in bed after consuming a batch of tainted blood.  Now Adam and Eve, stumbling through the streets in a hunger stricken daze notice a young couple in an alley and realize that there is no escaping what must be done.

           Overall, I did have some problems with the film.  Much of the historical references are difficult to ascertain which coupled with the lack of any sort of vampire activity like feeding on humans makes it hard to see Adam and Eve as vampires and not just reclusive intellectuals.  In addition, when the two consume blood it has a euphoric, almost drug induced effect on them which leads to drawn out scenes of psychedelic dancing and other activities which starts to get a little annoying.  That being said, I understand why the film does it as it shows that at their core, they are still creatures with the primal need to feed on the blood of humans.  Something that is inescapable despite their extremely civilized and intellectual existence. 

           In the end, the film is a very interesting take on the vampire myth and is done in a way that allows you to focus on the experience of a vampire; what their day to day mentality is and what their personality has developed into over centuries of life as opposed to watching them fight werewolves.  While I would have LOVED to see some historical reenactment in the form of flashbacks as I think that is what contributes to some of the greatest vampire movies ever, I still think that there was enough historical reference to keep you smiling.  Only Lovers Left Alive is a film that sacrifices the big budget blockbuster aspects of most vampire stories of today in favor of a more low key love story.  It is simply another chapter in the long lives of these two lovers which we get to look in on, and that is what makes the film so unique.