The Addiction (1995)

 

To say director Abel Ferrara has a different view on what most people consider 'mainstream' films, is putting it mildly. The man makes pretty unique works that sometimes get overlooked because, well, they are not as easy to get into. However, if you can make a film like 'King of New York', you're allowed a lot of leeway.

It's just a shame this one feels too pretentious and artsy to truly leave an impact, even if the ideas behind it are pretty solid and intriguing. 

Kathleen Conklin (Lili Taylor) is a grad student philosophy, and she is stuck writing her thesis. Then one night, she is assaulted by a strange woman and bitten. Soon after, she begings to change, not only in appearance and behaviour, but also in her mind.

Yes, this is a story about vampires. 

Now, all those philosophical concepts don't make any sense to Kathleen anymore, as she has truly become one of the living dead, preying on others. She does rack up quite a list, to be honest. But it is only when she meets a much older vampire (an excellent Christopher Walken) that she realizes how it all works. She has seen the philosophical light and writes one kick-ass thesis. 

It all culminates in a weird scene during her party, where all her victims are present and they all turn on the faculty members she invited. 

Have I mentioned yet that this is one weird film?

The casting choices are great. Lili Taylor is really good and Christopher Walken's cameo is yet again one of those memorable Walken-times. How he does it, I don't know, but the man manages to steal the show in pretty much anything he's in. That Ferrara chose to shoot the film in black and white is a great stylistic choice, as it doesn't distract you with vibrant bloodsprays and there's probably a metaphor in there about how human existence is grey and we're pretty much mentally dead anyway.

Or something along those lines.

But even though the film does go full on with the philosophy, it does feel bloated and purposely artsy, which doesn't make it as compelling as it might have been. Heck, Walken's cameo about halfway through is a welcome breather, as it breaks the constantly depressing mood and the continuous namedropping of philosophers and their concepts, most of which will mean absolutely nothing to a great majority of people. 

The worst part of it all is not the heady concept, because that would work. Neither is the constant referencing of philosophy. It is the fact that even though this film is barely 80 minutes long, it drags enormously. Seriously: the pacing is off and it is an absolute slog to get through. You would be most emphatically forgiven if you zone out after about twenty minutes. 

Also, the ending is one of those 'existential' ones that just comes across as being pretentious. 

It's a different take on vampirism which is cool, and there are plenty of competent people in front and behind the camera, but in the end, it's a film that is rather boring and drowns in its own aspirations. A shame, really.