Day 19

The Hunger (1983)

Directed by Tony Scott

The Hunger is a stylized vampire film concerning a complex love-web involving two vampires, Miriam and John Blaylock, played by Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie, and Dr. Sarah Roberts, a gerontologist played by Susan Sarandon, and her husband. After speaking with John regarding some issues he’s been having with vampiric life, Sarah meets with Miriam, a woman she has an instant connection with. As their relationship grows and becomes more intense, the fallout from this changes both women’s lives forever. It’s slightly difficult to describe this plot because it is so character driven and character focused, but it is mainly about the relationship between Miriam Blaylock and Sarah Roberts, and how Miriam being a vampire complicates this. There’s a lot of neat takes on vampirism in this movie and I won’t spoil them, but John in particular is in an interesting position that isn’t normally seen in vampire movies which does add a bit of drama to the story. Most of what makes this movie good though isn’t the story, but the excellent visual style.

The Hunger’s visual style, particularly in the opening and during a sex scene between Deneuve and Roberts (which is all the contemporary critics cared about), is what sets it apart and makes it worthwhile viewing. However much you will get out of this movie depends precisely on that, and even though critics at the time widely panned the movie I think that if this were released today, maybe under the A24 banner, it would have received a much more positive response. The visual effects are great, the opening and ending sequences are fantastic, and it is always a treat to see David Bowie in a weird movie. There’s even a cameo by Willem Dafoe that caught me off guard! I would definitely recommend this movie, but only to people who like films driven by characters and visuals where the story isn’t always the main concern. If you’re looking for a strong and deep narrative, perhaps look elsewhere.