psalimiyan Pouya Salimiyan Ms. H. Manzo Creative Writing A Girl Walks Home Alone At NightForeign movies get a bad rap; we make excuses to avoid watching them. Excuses like "I don't understand the cultural aspect of the movie so I can't relate to it" or "the true meaning of the movie is lost in translation", or the classic "I don't want to read subtitles." But every once in awhile there is a movie that bears the need to be watched, once in awhile there is a movie that transcends cultural, national, and in this case (the movie being completely in Farsi) lingual barriers. This movie is so transcendent in these aspects, not because it is powered by the full force of two of the most creative and well-developed sources of inspiration, classic Iranian cinema and a snapshot of 1950s Americana, but because it offers commentary on the socio- cultural position of women in Iranian society. The criticism of this lopsided power dynamic is poignant because it is allowed to flourish without the censor of the government. To the outsider watching A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014), the movie seems to be, in the director's (Ana Lily Amirpour's) own words, an "American inspired, Iranian, vampire western." In reality, the movie is so much more. Don't get me wrong, the interplay and intersections with which these genres are blended in this neo-noir masterpiece are so subtle that they seem to take on another life, rather than adhering to their genre archetypes. But the implications of this movie are far more ever reaching. This movie is on the surface about a vampire, a boy, a pimp, a junkie, and a prostitute. The connection between the characters becomes more pronounced as the two story lines, centered on the characters Girl (Sheila Vand) and Arash (Arash Marandi) converge.Girl is a vampire who prowls the streets of "Bad City" in a conservative religious outfit - Chador - that covers her from head to toe, stalking possible victims while looking for prey. In her outward appearance (given the chador) she is, even among those in Iranian society, considered conservative. However, the symbol that is the vampire evokes a powerful and conspicuously sexual connotation. Through the use of this archetype, the creator is shedding light on the lack of gender equality in Iran. In her home, as a contrast to her outward appearance, Girl dances and is virtually indistinguishable from any western woman. This reflects the abstraction of women in Iranian society as people, who like men, are capable of independent thought and action. An opposite view being the prevailing mindset in most but not all of the Iranian society. Making Girl a vampire was the only way for the director and writer (Ana Lily Amirpour) to give a woman any tangible power in Iranian society. The other characters serve only for either her nourishment and satiation or plot advancement. Arash (Arash Marandi,) the only man with a major role who treats women with what Girl considers respect, is allowed to live. The pair becomes romantically involved and eventually, in the story's ending which is more hopeful than anything else, drive off into the black-and-white sunset together and leave the rundown "Bad City" behind them. The movie in and of itself is a directorial and narrative win and is worth watching based on these pillars alone. But, if one were to consider oneself a true lover and believer in the nuance of film, of applied and concerted brilliance, and of insights so slight yet impactful that they escape boundaries set by culture and skip into pure empathic understanding: repeated viewing is recommended. That's at least what I thought was necessary.

dissident320 Admittedly I started this movie a couple of times but I couldn't quite get into it. I'm glad I did finally sit down and watch it all the way through. Once 'the Girl' shows up it picks up significantly. I found Sheila Vand quite mesmerizing and she steals scenes without saying a word. It almost could have worked with no dialogue as the music does a good job of setting the mood throughout. The vampire comes across as sensual but with a menace lurking behind her eyes.This won't be for everyone. It's light on story and isn't quite a horror. But it creates this atmosphere that had me captivated through to the end.

Piotr Parker Director took us into different world. Little bit unreal world, but very easily we can find some similarity to real world. Black and white make it even more unique. During watching it I have got the felling that everyone in the movie are lone riders. Loneliness between actors pushing them to be together even if there are lots of understatements. Beautiful soundtrack and the film keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Riley Porter I think that this film is a good reminder that in many ways story takes precedence over visuals as far as engaging with the audience is concerned. The visuals of A Girl Walks Home At Night ranged between good and enchanting. There isn't any reason that the aesthetic of the film should prevent anyone from enjoying it. For the most part the presentation of the film is great and makes it unique and gives the sense of exploring a setting totally distinct from others portrayed in the medium. If the film only had a stronger narrative drive then it could utilized a lot of what I feel is untapped potential. At a certain point scenes start to feel loosely connected and I started to wonder where the story was going and what any of the characters were really hoping to accomplish by the end. Maybe it's my own fault, but somehow, somewhere during the viewing, I lost interest in what was happening or what potentially might happen.While it isn't really clear to me what the director's intended statement is in the film it's difficult to imagine that identity doesn't play into the overall theme. The impression I took from the film is that what defines people is not how they envision themselves, but rather how they appear to others and the effect that they have on their lives. A good example of this would be Saeed. When we see Saeed with Arash and his father, he is large and centered in frame. In that scene Saeed is portrayed as a tyrant with complete power over those around him. When we see him with Atti he is a coward shut in his car, fidgety and more short tempered. In his last scene with the vampire, he gyrates and debases himself before screaming in panic and agony. In this final instance he is a dumb pervert. What the film may also be trying to get across is that whatever value we wish we had, others find in us. Arash wants to be seen as cool by the people around him, but only finds that the vampire sees personal worth in him and draws him to her as a result. The vampire likewise is off putting to others and sees herself as a monster, by her own admission she's done bad things. It's only when Arash finds comfort in her companionship that she is able to realize that value in herself.One aspect of the film that I think serves to emphasize its themes is the costumes. I would argue that the most important costume in the film is that of the vampire's. I would also argue that this costume is made much more effective by the decision for the film to be in black and white rather than color. The most obvious effect of the vampire wearing the hijab is that it gives her an air of mystery. With part of her head and much of her body being obscured it there is a sense of the unknown that is lacking when the vampire is in her room, dressed more casually. The darkness of the hijab working in tandem with the low lighting and lack of color greatly emphasizes this mystery and brings with it a sense of terror. Often the vampire appears like a specter as she almost drifts down the sidewalk stalking her prey. This effect is also a nice contrast to the more open outfit worn in scenes shared with Arash inside her room. To speak of Arash, his costume also reveals things about his character, though I would say in a more meta fashion. Frankly I could not help but be reminded of James Dean or Marlon Brando when by the end Arash is clad in a tiny white T-shirt and leather jacket. While those articles of clothing do not carry to much real significance on their own, the fact that they are reminiscent of well established rebel figures in film does a lot to express the general attitude of the character. The imagery allows us to project things onto the character which he might not make clear about himself. I think the main thing I would like to take away from this film has much more to do with the narrative than with the characters or presentation. As I have already expressed, I feel that the film lacks narrative drive. Often I found that scenes would play back to back but they failed to feed into one another. I would not say that this goes for all of the film and the instances where the story does flow more organically makes me think that if the entire film were woven together in the same fashion. It's difficult to maintain interest in a story when you're constantly wondering where it's going or how anything is really connected beyond just having the same characters in different scenes. Another thing I would take away is to be very aware of the meta aspects of film which audiences are familiar with. I've already mentioned the costumes but what I would like to highlight is something in the film which I felt was perhaps the worst part of the presentation. The sounds that the vampire made when she actually feeds on and intimidates people I think are not only over the top but will be familiar to audiences. Honestly about a dozen movie monsters and wild animals went through my head the instant the vampire started growling and consuming people. I gather that those noises are meant to be scary but I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't the only person whose enjoyment of the more supernatural scenes was greatly diminished by the completely uninspired part of the film. Overall though I would say that keeping in mind the film tropes that audiences are most familiar thing is very valuable when trying to realize a unique vision that you want taken seriously.