Retro Reel: We Are the Night

This film isn’t really old enough to be defined as retro, but I thought it was in a unique enough position to be posted in this column. Bought by IFC Films, We Are the Night (Wir sind die Nacht), is a German vampire film that was available in select theatres and now is On Demand with the IFC channel. There is currently no news about a DVD release, which is sad because this film deserves it. Contrived, yes. But We Are the Night has enough good to it to make up for the unoriginal concepts.

Lena lives a horrible life. Her mom is doing her probation officer, the cops are after her after she stole from a Russian pimp, and now she is being eyed by a vampiress. After being bitten, Lena joins Louise and her two other children for a crazy nightlife filled with sweet cars, endless shopping, and delicious blood. But Lena is unable to accept the darker parts of her new life and begins to rebel.

If you have ever seen Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, and David Bowie’s The Hunger then you have seen many of the elements in this film. Same with Underworld, Lost Boys, and numerous other recent vampire flicks. But that’s okay. Jan Berger and Dennis Gansel, the screenwriters (Gansel is also the director) clearly have seen all of these films and know them well enough to twist the concepts. For instance, when Lena is bitten you see her in a mirror. Taking the scene from Van Helsing, but going one step further, all the viewer sees is the bite marks forming on her neck.

What makes this film stand out from other vampire flicks, because honestly you can throw a rock and hit one (even if you have bad aim) is the cinematography. Torsten Breuer, who has worked previously with Gansel, creates haungtingly beautiful imagery. Whether it be hot vampire girls walking on the ceiling or sexy vampire girls eating a man alive, Breuer makes it look good.

Speaking of eating a man alive, that is a downfall of this film. There is the concept introduced that all the male vampires have been killed off. That would be an interesting idea and all, if they went anywhere with it. But they don’t. It is a wasted avenue, but exploring it would have turned it into a completely different film.

The problem with many vampire films is the actors don’t take their roles seriously. They scream and growl but you don’t believe it. All of the actresses in this film commit to their roles. The men, ironically enough, are the weakest thespians in the movie.

Don’t be scared off by the subtitles. For one, the entire soundtrack is in English. Don’t ask me why, but the score is quite epic. However, I could have sworn songs from The Dark Knight were used. Also, the film is not paced nearly as slow as most European films. Think of the speed of Run Lola Run, knocked down a few kilometers per hour.

I’ve seen dozen upon dozen, possibly near a hundred vampire films. It's kind of my thing. So it takes a lot to impress me. Sure I knew exactly where this film was going, I could guess the ending of almost every scene. But I actually connected to the characters and felt empathy for them. Who cares if the movie is predictable if it gives you a cathartic experience?