Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

A depressed musician reunites with his lover. Though their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister.

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writers:

Jim Jarmusch, Marion Bessay (adaptation)

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska

9 wins & 44 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tilda Swinton	...	Eve
Tom Hiddleston	...	Adam
Anton Yelchin	...	Ian
Mia Wasikowska	...	Ava
Jeffrey Wright	...	Dr. Watson
Slimane Dazi	...	Bilal
John Hurt	...	Christopher Marlowe
Carter Logan	...	Scott
Aurélie Thépaut	...	Flight Attendant
Ali Amine	...	Taxi Driver, Detroit
Dave W.	...	White Hills
Ego Sensation	...	White Hills
Nick Name	...	White Hills
Fouad El Achaari	...	Man on Street, Tangier
Hawchi Mustapha	...	Man on Street, Tangier

Storyline

Set against the romantic desolation of Detroit and Tangiers, an underground musician, deeply depressed by the direction of human activities, reunites with his resilient and enigmatic lover. Their love story has already endured several centuries at least, but their debauched idyll is soon disrupted by her wild and uncontrollable younger sister. Can these wise but fragile outsiders continue to survive as the modern world collapses around them?

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | musician | tangier morocco | abandoned city | detroit michigan | 

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Taglines:

Cool people never die

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (Sir John Hurt) mentions writing Hamlet, and ghostwriting for William Shakespeare to have an outlet for his work. The real Marlowe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of twenty-nine, a few weeks before the publication of Shakespeare's first known play. The Marloweian theory, which is considered fringe by a vast majority of scholars, suggests that he faked his death, and adopted the nom de plume "William Shakespeare".

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Goofs

When the power fails in Adam's house, all lights and appliances cease functioning instantly but one can still hear the record turntable slowing to a standstill over several seconds.

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Quotes

Eve: How can you have lived for so long and still not get it? This self obsession is a waste of living, It could be spent surviving things, appreciating nature, nurturing kindness and friendship, and dancing. You have been pretty lucky in love though, if I may say so.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Couples with Ridiculous Age Gaps (2015)

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Soundtracks

Gamil
Written by Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Yasmine Hamdan and Abdelouab Abrit
Performed by Y.A.S.
Courtesy of Universal Music France under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd and Les productions 50 50 by arrangement with Tora Bora Publishing

User Reviews

hollow shells

Wonderful imagery. style and atmosphere in the extreme. great acting. Beauty in many forms: you get a lot for your eyes. Also, depending on your taste in music, there is also a lot for your ears.

For your brain, sadly, not as much.

"Only lovers left alive" is filled with a lot of name-dropping, by word, picture and sometimes sound. Whether you find that fascinating or pretentious depends on your taste.

But what this movie really lacks is a story. The characters are throughout and the dialogue may be scarce, but has some dry humour and snappy lines. That doesn't save it from going nowhere. Glaring plot holes may make you cringe at times. And the pacing looks like Jarmush tried to surpass Kaurismäki in terms of slowness. If so, he won.

So perhaps this movie is best tasted in the state its protagonists enter after relishing an excellent glass of blood: dazed, blissful, and somewhat drugged.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Germany Greece France

Language:

English French Arabic Turkish

Release Date:

25 December 2013 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Only Lovers Left Alive

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$87,989, 13 April 2014

Gross USA:

$1,879,534

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,609,187

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Pandora Filmproduktion, Snow Wolf Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1 Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1