Byzantium is the most recent incarnation of the Vampire myth for the silver screen. Directed by Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire, Ondine, The Brave One) and adapted from the play by Moira Buffini, it stars Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Caleb Landry Jones and Sam Riley. Byzantium screened at TIFF 2012 and garnered a fair amount of buz during the festival season; everyone had high hopes for this one from seasoned director Neil Jordan, given his past experience and success with the genre.

The opening scene takes place in a seedy strip club with Clara (Gemma Arterton) giving a client a lap dance. When the patron gets handsy a struggle ensues and Clara bites him before grabbing a handful of cash and fleeing the club with a mysterious stranger in pursuit. What follows is an unremarkable chase sequence: no animal transformations, no exceptional speed or strength and certainly no sparkles. Shortly we learn that Clara and her daughter Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) are vampires living a far from glamorous existence subsisting on the revenue from Clara’s dealings in the sex industry. After the altercation with the mystery stalker, Clara torches their apartment and the duo set off to find a new town to call home. Much to Eleanor’s distaste, they end up returning to none other than the seaside village of their origin. It is here where Eleanor, tired of a life of solitude and isolation with Clara, befriends a teenage boy, Frank (Caleb Landry Jones), and begins to share her story.

Through a series of flashbacks narrated by Eleanor, we learn the pair’s sad tale: Clara’s initiation and indoctrination into the sex industry, her immortal rebirth, and the events that forced Clara to transform her daughter into a “sucreant” at the tender age of sixteen.

This rendition of the vampire myth strives to set itself apart from the canon with some novel departures from tradition. The vampires in Byzantium have no special abilities (apart from immortality) and fangs have been replaced by a long sharp thumbnail. These “Sucreants” are not created by others, rather, a person desiring immortality must journey to a distant island where the transformation takes place in a stone hut. Most interesting of changes made is that this group of blood sucking immortals are all men, with the exception of our two lead characters, who unlawfully stole in to the “brotherhood”.

Despite the effort to set itself apart from the horde, tackling some of the logistical issues of vampirism, ‘Byzantium’ fails to impress. Its slow moving plot focuses primarily on what seem to be the adolescent reflection of a 200 year old child: Eleanor’s character is immature in more than just her sixteen-year-old appearance. The moping and sulking of Eleanor borders on insufferable, and Clara’s abrasive personality is far from sympathetic. Ultimately when the story finally resolves itself it is neither engaging nor unexpected. Positioning itself as the intermediary genre film between ‘Twilight’ and ‘Interview with the Vampire’, only die-hard fans need attend.

Astrid Handling

If you enjoyed this you may like:

July Film Releases Part 1

TIFF 2012 Insider Tips No.3