Byzantium (2012)

Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Moira Buffini (play), Moira Buffini (teleplay)

Stars:

Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Saoirse Ronan	...	Eleanor
Barry Cassin	...	Robert Fowlds
Gemma Arterton	...	Clara
David Heap	...	Lap Dancing Client
Warren Brown	...	Gareth
Ruby Snape	...	Wendy
Thure Lindhardt	...	Werner
Jenny Kavanagh	...	Barmaid
Glenn Doherty	...	Steve
Edyta Budnik	...	Nadia
Gabriela Marcinkova	...	Anya
Caleb Landry Jones	...	Frank
Daniel Mays	...	Noel
Uri Gavriel	...	Savella
Sam Riley	...	Darvell

Storyline

Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.

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Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Mother Daughter Relationship | Female Vampire | Based On Play

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK USA Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

£8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Demarest Films, Lipsync Productions, Number 9 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Saoirse Ronan actually plays Ludwig van Beethoven's complicated Piano Sonata Opus 2, No. 3, having undergone an intense 12-week crash course in piano lessons.

User Reviews

Indeed a different vampire movie, avoiding all clichés. Glad to have seen this is possible

I saw this film as part of the Brussels International Fantastic film festival 2013 (BIFFF), where it was the main course of the opening ceremony, featuring director Neil Jordan as the guest of honor. It was a very unusual opening night (I say this as an experienced film festival visitor): we had to wait outside the venue for a very long time (for reasons unknown), access control was sketchy (to say the least), the audience was very noisy (especially in the beginning, but reduced considerably once the story in the film took off), and there were several people in obvious disguise (a priest, a soldier, and many others) whose task it seemed to entertain the public before the actual event started. At last, we (over 2000) found our places and sat through obligatory speeches (intermixing french and dutch, while the other language appeared as subtitles on screen), mentioning all sponsors (accompanied by boo's and/or applause from the audience), handing over an award for Neil Jordan and knighting him in the order of the Raven, and finally the screening of Byzantium what it was we all were waiting for.

The category labels "Horror, Vampire" did me hesitate somewhat beforehand. But I must admit, after all, that the net result did not disappoint, at the same time demonstrating how difficult it is to categorize a movie in an informative way. In his short introduction (ultra short, not by his fault), director Neil Jordan assured us that this vampire film was "different", and his words proved to be very true. The vampires we saw here could live normal lives in broad daylight, and even were visible in a mirror. All the standard things we see in middle-of-the-road vampire movies, were avoided. The film makers were right in this, since the story can easily do without these clichés and stand on its own feet. So no crosses, no holy water, and no coffins. And finally, no horrendous screaming and no squeaking doors either, both seemingly unavoidable in any "horror" movie.

There was an ingeniously constructed story, that brought all the elements of love and hate, loyalty, and reluctance to harm (or let harm) someone loved. There is even a vampire brotherhood that refuses women as members, or even to exist as vampires, hence continuous hunts for our two main characters to eliminate them. For spoilers sake, I refrain from giving more details here. Especially what it is that binds the two women, who are telling everyone they are sisters and that one is appointed as legal guardian over the other when their mother died, is an important element that is kept for us until the finale. Even their age and their origins are revealed to us along the line in very small doses.

On the deserted island (of course cursed, according to some seamen) we see the mountains suddenly covered with blood when someone enters the mysterious cave and decides to give up his soul. Even worse, we see the phenomenon repeated several times with different persons undergoing the ritual. I don't think this contributes much, and rather distracts us from what it really is all about. The multitude of birds that each time leaves the scene on the crucial moment, has much more impact to underline the mystery of the ritual and could on itself be enough, However, since blood is a core element in vampirism, I assume that this abundance of blood could not be left out, if only to satisfy the average viewer who assumes this is part of the deal. For the record, I consider this my only minus point for the whole movie.

All in all, I was very happy to see the clichés of vampirism avoided, and even the appearance of blood was reduced to a necessary minimum. This won't satisfy the average vampire movie lover, but that is not my problem. The underlying plot, combined with the way it is brought to us, makes this into a totally "different" vampire movie, just as the director announced in his introduction. Nearly two hours running time is above average for the hasty ones among us, but in my opinion well spent.