A New York philosophy grad student (Lili Taylor) turns into a vampire after getting bitten by one (Annabella Sciorra), and then tries to come to terms with her new lifestyle and frequent craving for human blood.
The film has been considered an allegory about drug addiction, as well as an allegory of the theological concept of sin. It contains philosophical, theological and other intellectual content, including references to Husserl, Nietzsche, Feuerbach, and Descartes. The film also features a vampire quoting the highly conservative Reformed Theologian R. C. Sproul, who is a critic of Roman Catholicism.
Its connection to drug addiction and the parallels it draws are obvious, and it is not alone in doing so. Notably, Larry Fessenden's "Habit" also covered this ground. But the philosophy angle is new, especially with how far it goes. The references are not subtle at all, and as a philosophy graduate I appreciated them... I would love to see an analysis of the topics discussed and see if there is something deeper here, or just a superficial use of more profound thoughts.
Abel Ferrara does a great job of capturing New York City in all its gritty goodness. While not quite "guerilla filmmaking", most (if not all) of the scenes are uncontrolled -- no actors, no direction. Just Lili Taylor walking through real life, which makes this something of a time capsule in a way.
The film has been considered an allegory about drug addiction, as well as an allegory of the theological concept of sin. It contains philosophical, theological and other intellectual content, including references to Husserl, Nietzsche, Feuerbach, and Descartes. The film also features a vampire quoting the highly conservative Reformed Theologian R. C. Sproul, who is a critic of Roman Catholicism.
Its connection to drug addiction and the parallels it draws are obvious, and it is not alone in doing so. Notably, Larry Fessenden's "Habit" also covered this ground. But the philosophy angle is new, especially with how far it goes. The references are not subtle at all, and as a philosophy graduate I appreciated them... I would love to see an analysis of the topics discussed and see if there is something deeper here, or just a superficial use of more profound thoughts.
Abel Ferrara does a great job of capturing New York City in all its gritty goodness. While not quite "guerilla filmmaking", most (if not all) of the scenes are uncontrolled -- no actors, no direction. Just Lili Taylor walking through real life, which makes this something of a time capsule in a way.