The Trailer:
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton & Caleb Landry Jones
Synopsis: Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and Clara (Gemma Arterton), mysterious women who don't speak of their past, move into a coastal town where their secrets unravel.
Byzantium is a wonderfully crafted, beautiful, dark vampire film. It is more a drama than a horror, perhaps a gothic horror. Either way, I am quite impressed with it. The leading ladies, Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, fantastically capture their roles and execute them with such ease that it seems that they are Eleanor and Clara. Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) is a sickly boy with whom Eleanor establishes a relationship with. Jones was the perfect person for this role with his pale pallor and soft voice, so it is easy to believe that he is sick. Speaking of casting, even the secondary characters are cast to perfection. It is evident that there was real thought in who the casting directors chose for the roles. Another smart choice on the movie-makers part is how they entwine Clara and Eleanor's past into the present. There isn't a stark contrast between the two timelines, instead they're blended together seamlessly and it works, really well.
The real beauty of the story lies in Clara's intense love for Eleanor and the sacrifices she makes in her honor. It is the love of a mother for her child, and like most parent-child relationships there is a disconnect to Eleanor as to why her mother, Clara, makes such bewildering decisions in a effort to protect her. Also, the tragedy of their lives and their ability to persevere is something to admire in both of them, though Clara and Eleanor choose to deal with their troubles quite differently. Which begs of us viewers to discuss is there a right way to live life? How, when faced with choosing between two evils, can we make the best decision, even when it doesn't align with our own desires? Especially in regards to parenting your children, how do we raise them right, even when we have so little to offer them? And that's what I appreciate about Byzantium the most; it is more like a study of the human condition, but told through the lives of immortal women faced with adversity. Poignant, profound, and harrowing.
Now for the vampire aspect of the film. I was pleasantly surprised with how unlike other vampire films Byzantium is. It doesn't follow the usual rules of vampirism (is that a word?). First, the act of becoming a vampire isn't a simple one: You have to travel to a remote island and enter a strange stone-hut like building, enter it without fear of death and then you're a vampire. Second, these vampires don't bite, but instead their thumbnail grows into a sharp point in which they puncture their victims with and then suck the blood out. Third, both Eleanor and Clara don't seem to possess any supernatural powers (i.e. mind, control, super speed, etc.), except for higher pain tolerance, perhaps? (This is never stated or shown really in the film, but is somewhat implied). Fourth, they are not hindered by sunlight. These details combined make their story more believable somehow. Because instead of just cruising through their eternal lives, compelling people to their desires and needs, they actually have to struggle to survive. Sequentially this leads to Clara and Eleanor clashing over how to survive thus creating the conflict and drama of the story.
Byzantium is a superb film, with heartache and a darkness that builds up into light. Also, which I have forgotten to mention, the red waterfall of eternal life (a title I gave it) might be my favorite effect used in the film! I would most assuredly watch this film again... and again... and again. I suggest you watch it too.
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