Carmilla

source: Carmilla

So the name Carmilla seems to be loaded. Or the character, but you associate the name with ... well you know what I mean. That being said, I am copletely free of that baggage, so I can't really relate if that is problematic for some. I can say that I liked the movie and the drama it build. The oppressed, the not being able to express ones feeling(s). And the horror elements of it. Even if there were a few too many dream/nightmare sequences in it for my taste. But that is me - you may feel differently. Good acting, good cinematography and overall very well made. The "old" setting, the sexual and occasional explicit violence is something you have to be able to dig ... go with the flow sort of. If you can the movie is quite rewarding.

One of the characters believes that after death, there are "deserts of eternity". I experienced these while watching this beautifully shot but so, so, so slow-moving film. The acting by Jessica Raine and Hannah Rae is good. However, the story fails to get out of first gear. While there are some great moments, there is no suspense, and you won't remember much about the film a week after viewing. Slow and beautiful like Kubrick does it but without any message.

I have seen and own the Hammer trilogy that is famous for being one of the first to adapt the story, and I would call them tame by 1980 standards, but yet still interesting to view. I would say the same for this adaption. Being 60, I grew up in the era of plot driven stories that at drama and so do not believe that every movie is non stop action as it has been since 2000. It is not a * flick either, it is an attempt to understand the author point of view. There are other adaptions from this time period that I have not seen. I found a new Blu Ray and paid less than $30 for it and will add to my library of fine films and movies as well as B movies that I love.

This movie is unsuspecting. They're are long silences and drawn out scenes but it communicates so much of the story. This was a genius retelling of the novella Carmilla. This film not only follows the narrative, but it does so in a way that alludes to the hysteria around homosexuality in 1830's England. This movie was fantastic from beginning to end. The cinematography was out of this world. I especially loved the long panel scenes. The cast did an outstanding job portraying the characters. This film felt true to the story but kept a fresh perspective about the realities behind vampirism in literature and film. The ending scene, the reflection in the water, spoke to the heart of Queerness, you can drive a stake in the heart of it, you can assume that Queerness is vampirism, predatory, but it will remain because it is a part of us. The symbolism through this piece was phenomenal. As someone who studies English and Film, watching this was a delight, my mind was engaged, and I loved the minute details that shouted in the silence. This was definitely written and directed by people who understand cinematic language and the importance of details. A Queer revolution. Thank you for this film. The rating is so wrong and I am grateful for this film. As a Queer vampire-loving English major I can honestly say that no movie has ever become such an instant fave. I'll be watching this over and over and over. Well done on all levels.

I had the pleasure of seeing this on a big screen at Portsmouth's Making the Waves film festival with writer/director Emily Harris in attendance for a Q and A. She says it is loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu's original novella of the same name but it is certainly true to the spirit of his tale of Sapphic vampires (interestingly pre-dating Stoker's Dracula). To start with, Harris's background in fine art is evident throughout and present in nearly every frame. It looks beautiful. From the muted candlelight of the interiors to the filtering sunlight of the exteriors to characters framed in windows or in nature. Speaking of nature, this is compared and contrasted with human nature and we get close ups of both in all its beauty and ugliness. It is superbly cast with newcomers Hannah Rae as a convincingly wide eyed innocent and Devrim Lingnau bringing a mesmerising, feline, otherworldly quality to the title role. They anchor this tale of female sensual awakening superbly and they are backed by the better known names of Jessica Raine and Tobias Menzies, the former bringing an effective cold puritanism to the proceedings and the latter an incisive charisma. If there are any monsters in this film they are them, carrying out a horrific act based on scant evidence and like many wrongs in the world, 'for the best of reasons'. Greg Wise also has good moments as the patriarch of the house. The ambiguity of whether Carmilla is or isn't a vampire is judged perfectly-she rises late, has a * for blood, a dog is unsettled by her, her choice of reading matter seems to consist of black magic and eroticism and her 'victim' seems to be drained of life and vigour (and we have hints she might have been responsible for the fate of another young maiden) but we have cheeky little nods to vampiric movie tropes when we see her reflected in a mirror, handling a cross and walking in clear daylight. One gets the feeling the film maker is saying she is not but still leaving it up to us to decide. Shades of The Turn of the Screw and My Cousin Rachel occur to one. This film won't be for everyone, it is a slow burner, which I feel works in its favour, but may be exasperating to some and if you are expecting horror, it is certainly present, not in a supernatural form but in a more chilling, human one. The nod is given in some Freudian dream scenes featuring bloodletting and a mysterious man who turns out to be the acceptable face of magic, a village conjuror (Scott Silven). It certainly has all the trappings of a superior gothic drama and is a fresh and exciting addition to the genre. Previous film versions based on the novella include Hammer's The Vampire Lovers which is closer, bizarrely, to the original story, but it has an exploitative undertone that makes this subtler and more pensive film truer to the spirit of Le Fanu's piece.

As soon as you see that word you know what you are in for. Why people feel the need to "reimagine" classic stories is beyond me. Just say it is a new story based around the source material. Read the book instead.

I LOVE vampire movies, i've seen as many as i can get my grubby little hands on, and i really loved this one. This one has a very beautiful ambiguity that i really really love. At lot of these other reviews seemed to hate that, but in this adaptation you don't know of carmilla really a vampire, you just know something isn't right with her, and i loved that. It's still visually very beautifully gothic, but if you want candelabras and fangs on necks this isn't necessarily a traditional vampire flick. In the original novel, lara doesn't reciprocate carmillas advances but this one is this very strange, romantic love story between the two of them that i think works much better than original antagonist carmilla. There is a bit of gore in this one, it's mildly graphic, but i think it works really well especially in the context of the whole movie.

Im really not sure what happened in this film. Was Camilla a vampire? Doesn't seem like it. But then what was ailing Laura? And why did the dog growl at her? Why were three other girls ill. Why was she into blood? Ok, so maybe she was one. But then why didn't she seem to have any supernatural power? Who knows. And why did Lauras reflexion turn into Carmillas at the end? Again, who knows. But you will definitely have fun watching this, if on ly to try and figure out what the heck is going on.

So yeah. I have no idea why they used Carmilla as the "basis" for this film. It trades the baggage of eroticism and exploitation from many previous films and tames it down into a feminist lesbian love story. I'm not saying that a feminist lesbian love story is a bad thing or that it shouldn't be told. Everyone has a right to be heard. I came into this cold merely because of the title and to say the least I was left underwhelmed. Maybe the filmmakers had the purest of motives I. E. "We shall take this gothic novel and rehabilitate it to remove the stigma of exploitation and objectification". But it ends up seeming like a cynical exploitation of those previous films just for the purpose of making money. There are some redeeming qualities to this film. It looks absolutely stunning. A real visual treat. The acting is not bad. The score isn't terrible. But what it doesn't really have is a heart. The "love story" is rather banal and honestly boring. Direction is very stiff. The writing is honestly bland and uninspiring. There isn't anything to make me feel any emotion except irritation. A perfect example of style over substance. In short it's much too tame and contrived. In fact there isn't really much vampire in this vampire movie. I think what they were trying to say had something to do with "Carmilla was persecuted for being a lesbian". But who knows? The exact same ending could be the work of someone trying to say lesbianism is evil.