Vampire (2011/I)

Director:

Shunji Iwai

Writer:

Shunji Iwai (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 2012 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A vampire, who works as a teacher, searches for suicidal female students and seduces them prior to sucking their blood. |

Plot Keywords:

Vampire

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kevin Zegers	...	Simon
Keisha Castle-Hughes	...	Jellyfish
Amanda Plummer	...	Helga
Trevor Morgan	...	Renfield
Adelaide Clemens	...	Ladybird
Yû Aoi	...	Mina
Kristin Kreuk	...	Maria Lucas
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Laura King
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jodi Balfour	...	Michaela
Ian Brown	...	Jack Hales
R. Nelson Brown	...	Nick Williams
Kyle Cameron	...	Abbot King
Samuel Patrick Chu	...	Brian
Dustin Eriksen	...	Gargoyle
Herod Gilani	...	Eclipse
Teach Grant	...	Morgan Hoffman
Chad Krowchuk	...	Polidori
Paul Piaskowski	...	Gallows
Mandy Playdon	...	Stella Snyder
Ryan Robbins	...	Kevin Grant
Klodyne Rodney	...	Cashier
Gerry Rousseau	...	Scott Adams
Gale Van Cott	...	Nurse Ray

Directed by
Shunji Iwai

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shunji Iwai		written by

Produced by
Deboragh Gabler	....	line producer
Shunji Iwai	....	producer
Tim Kwok	....	producer (as Siew-Loong Tim Kwok)

Original Music by
Shunji Iwai

Cinematography by
Shunji Iwai

Casting by
Brad Gilmore

Production Design by
Alexandra Rojek

Set Decoration by
Oscar Trainor

Costume Design by
Tanya Lipke

Makeup Department
Cindy Barlow	....	key makeup artist
Paula Demille	....	key hair stylist
Nikita Pennock	....	swing hair/makeup

Production Management
Jocelyn Bishop	....	second assistant production manager
Eileen Hoeter	....	production manager
Naoko Iwai	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matthias Mellinghaus	....	first assistant director
Dave T. Nall	....	third assistant director
Quincy Wheeler-Hendren	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Kathryn He	....	assistant property master
Matthew Law	....	on-set dresser
Ron McCall	....	property master
Adrian Patterson	....	lead dresser

Sound Department
Benjamin MacDonald	....	sound mixer (as Ben McDonald)
Brian Magrum	....	adr mixer
Koji Yamamoto	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Brant McIlroy	....	special effects coordinator
Katrina McIlroy	....	special effects technician
Martin Testa	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Yuka Hosomi	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Jeffery Ong	....	stunt coordinator
Chad Sayn	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Chad Sayn	....	stunt rigger
Maja Stace-Smith	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Ahmad Badawi	....	lighting technician
Brett Hill	....	electrician
Cliff Hokansen	....	steadicam operator
Rina Hoshino	....	camera crew translator
Masami Ishitsuka	....	camera operator
Masashi Ishizuka	....	first assistant camera
Hajime Kato	....	digital imaging technician
Prem Marimuthu	....	gaffer
Tyler Jinx Moore	....	key grip
Kôji Onomichi	....	camera operator
Nicholas J. Palfy	....	grip intern
Ronald Richard	....	lighting technician
Jan Wolff	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Brandy Davis	....	casting assistant
Kyle Dean	....	casting assistant
Tiffany Mak	....	casting associate
Annette McCaffrey	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brittany Elchuk	....	assistant costume designer
Brittany Elchuk	....	set costumer
Cassandra Marbach	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
Emiko Kagawa	....	post production intern
Nodoka Kato	....	post-production consultant
J. Kitazaki	....	project manager: EFilm
Nobuo Mita	....	post production intern
Leroy Wolf	....	color timer

Transportation Department
Tony Boulter	....	production driver
Ben Liljedahl	....	transportation captain
Kent MacDonald	....	transportation co-coordinator
Rick MacKay	....	transportation coordinator
Ross Martin	....	production driver
Brian Mcrae	....	driver: cast
Peter Road	....	production driver
Rainer Scheelisch	....	driver
Lorraine Stomperud	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Wendy L. Adjoury	....	first assistant coordinator
Frank Ciofitto	....	key p/a
Deb Cole	....	product placement coordinator
Dale Cornick	....	production accountant
Todd Daulby	....	stand-in
Rick Fearon	....	location scout
Olivia Gauer	....	key p/a
Weyen George	....	key p/a
Taro Goto	....	english supervisor
Stacey Harris	....	production coordinator
Eileen Hoeter	....	finch wrangler
Kirk Jarrett	....	horse wrangler
Krista Johnston	....	clearances
Fiona Kayitesi	....	payroll accountant
Maya Lim	....	script supervisor
Rhona Medina	....	assistant to director
Aki Mizuno	....	assistant to director
Kaity Muir	....	production intern
Matt Porter	....	assistant to producer
Tany Rangen	....	assistant to producer
Sandy Reynolds	....	craft service
Steve Sangster	....	assistant location manager
Katy Townsend	....	researcher
Linda Yip	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Convergence Entertainment
• Rockwell Eyes
• V Project Canada Productions

Distributors

• Pony Canyon (2012) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cinemax (2012) (Hungary) (TV)
• Eleven Arts (2013) (USA) (all media)
• Pony Canyon (2013) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing violent content and, language

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Certification:

USA:R | Japan:PG12

Filming Locations:

Dundas, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Convergence Entertainment

If you know Iwai, you know what to expect

This is not a vampire flick. It shouldn't really be necessary to point this out, after all the summary makes it very clear. But it would seem that the reason for this film's overall cold reception is precisely that it doesn't feature supernatural, love-lorn beings to satisfy inhibited sexual desires of self-destruction. Rather, it presents an altogether uncomfortable view on real-life blood-thirst and a controversial look at suicidal obsession.

If you're familiar with Iwai's work, then neither the subject matter nor the style come as much of a surprise. Iwai's staple theme is alienated youth and the thin line between friendship and destruction. In 'All about Lily Chou-Chou', he explored bullying and underage prostitution against a backdrop of how virtual and real-life personalities differ, 'Swallowtail Butterfly' dealt with the ups and downs of a group of misfits bonding and betraying each other, and 'Hana & Alice' showed a close high-school-girl friendship with elements of rivalry over a particular boy.

'Vampire' follows a story which actually happened in Japan: a man convinces young women in suicide chat-rooms to die together with him, eventually tricking them so that he may consume their blood. The focus isn't so much on why he wants to do this (apart from ambivalent references to the quest for immortality), but rather why these women want to die - and this is where I see a continuity with Iwai's other work. It's not so much about the story itself, which takes somewhat unfathomable turns and ends up in a confusing mêlée, but rather the visuals, which create a mystified, surreal and at times even humorous perspective on death. The proverbial 'vampire' is actually seen as a perversion of this theme, which becomes obvious in a rather gory parody of the 'serial killer' image, complete with fangs and cape.

If you wonder what a Japanese film with American actors may look like, then this one may be very well for you. To me, it's been worthwhile just for seeing that the styles of Japanese cinema - character vagueness, visual rendition, and most of all quietness - can be translated into English rather well. However, if you really expect a vampire flick, better wait until the next 'Twilight' segment.