The hunger

Year of release : 1983

 

Run time : 1h37min

 

Genre : Fantasy / Horror

 

Cast : Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, David Bowie

 

 

The movie is based on the book by Whitley Strieber.

 

Miriam, a beautiful vampire, and her vampire lover, prey on night clubbers. The movie starts with the two of them bringing a pair home, and k!lling them.

 

Right after this, her half breed lover ( the man she turned centuries ago,but we don't know exactly when) ,John, starts aging.

They find a scientist Sarah, who is an expert in aging.

 

Sarah doesn't believe John, and when she finally realizes he's serious ,it's too late,as he ages rapidly, probably due to the fact he stayed young for so long.

 

Miriam seems cold, selfish,just like a vampire, because from the moment John starts aging, she already sets her sights on Sarah.

Sarah seems drawn to her, as in ,she hears her without Miriam having said anything, and she seems attracted to her,although she is happy in her relationship with a man! So,it seems whoever the vampire chooses, whoever she likes, the person becomes spellbound, and responds to her accordingly.

 

Miriam doesn't k!ll her lovers,she just lets them waste away, locked in coffins, in this state in between life and death,which I find very cruel.

She says she loves John,she seems to mourn him for a day, but then moves on. I guess that's a vampire's capability to love.

 

I didn't like the movie as I felt it didn't have a heart,and by the end of the movie the characters were still unknown. We still don't know what drives them, except for the hunger, the need to feed.

 

The movie doesn't waste time on building up the characters, giving them a heart or a story. All we know are bits and pieces,fragments of Miriam's story,through short scenes, flashes of her past without dialogue.

Sarah feels like the damsel in distress in somebody else's story.

 

The movie has this uneasy disgusting close-ups of people kissing with their saliva tying to their mouths. They also look like it's the first time they kiss someone and they learn how. I found the s3x scenes unappealing.

 

The acting was fine. Susan Sarandon doesn't wear a bra although she should,and has an ugly haircut.

I liked Catherine Deneuve's style, the clothes, the hair, the make-up, she looked very classy,elegant, like a porcelain doll.

I also liked the colors of the movie,the cinematography. And Miriam's house.

 

The soundtrack was fine, although I hated the classical music they played.

 

Viewer discretion is advised, as the movie has a lot of nudity and s3x scenes.

 

The movie is streaming on Criterion Channel, and is for rent or sale on Amazon, Apple, DirecTv, Google, Vudu, YouTube.

 

Rating : Could have been a contender !