A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Kino Lorber | Release Date: November 21, 2014

7.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 125 Ratings

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evanrmNov 23, 2014

That it's the first Iranian vampire film is really the only thing going for it when compared to other vampire flicks. It's kind of art-house (meaning dull and slow), although it has a few decent parts. It never really picks up any sort ofThat it's the first Iranian vampire film is really the only thing going for it when compared to other vampire flicks. It's kind of art-house (meaning dull and slow), although it has a few decent parts. It never really picks up any sort of pace, and the slow, meandering script lacks any real emotional centre.

I have the feeling that if it wasn't the first Iranian vampire film, the critics wouldn't be so smitten with it.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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LowbrowCinemaJan 4, 2015

After a pretty sensational opening 20 minutes, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT becomes a classic case of style over substance. And sadly, the style is nothing new. But those first 20 minutes show real talent and an ability to appropriate aAfter a pretty sensational opening 20 minutes, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT becomes a classic case of style over substance. And sadly, the style is nothing new. But those first 20 minutes show real talent and an ability to appropriate a culture while simultaneously criticizing and celebrating it. In this case, the appropriated culture is American pop culture in Iran. Sadly, the film doesn't hang on and eventually loses its way.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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frankrog29May 12, 2015

I agree with LowbrowCinema in that this film is a classic case of style over substance. The cinematography is gorgeous, but the plot leaves little to be desired. It does a good job establishing a tone of creepiness and melancholy, but, alas,I agree with LowbrowCinema in that this film is a classic case of style over substance. The cinematography is gorgeous, but the plot leaves little to be desired. It does a good job establishing a tone of creepiness and melancholy, but, alas, atmosphere alone is rarely enough to sustain a feature film for the entire running time.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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LamontRaymondNov 28, 2014

The movie certainly looks cool, and the lead actress has amazing presence, but it's slow as molasses, which is a problem for a motion picture. I can't imagine who the target audience for this film is. Definitely not horror fans. I can seeThe movie certainly looks cool, and the lead actress has amazing presence, but it's slow as molasses, which is a problem for a motion picture. I can't imagine who the target audience for this film is. Definitely not horror fans. I can see where it would be cathartic for a Persian woman living in Iran or another country in the middle east which is not so progressive when it comes to women's rights. I just wish the writer/director would have taken the story a bit further.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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drlowdonJun 15, 2017

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is beautifully shot, has a great score and is superbly acted making for the kind of film that art-house movie aficionados will likely love. Many viewers however, and I include myself in this, will find it toA Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is beautifully shot, has a great score and is superbly acted making for the kind of film that art-house movie aficionados will likely love. Many viewers however, and I include myself in this, will find it to be too much style over substance at times at even at just 100 minutes running time it felt a little too long.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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temptershellAug 28, 2017

This debut shows first of all the unwillingness for a contemporary approach to history. Spectators are fascinated by every anomaly of the standard movies as it was with the "Artist", and this particular thriller is just weak. Lack ofThis debut shows first of all the unwillingness for a contemporary approach to history. Spectators are fascinated by every anomaly of the standard movies as it was with the "Artist", and this particular thriller is just weak. Lack of charismatic characters and a terrible soundtrack are the main problems of this production.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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FilmPhonicMay 27, 2015

In her debut feature-length film British-born Iranian-American writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour takes her 2011 short of the same name and expands it into a unique a genre-straddling stylistic mashup of spaghetti-western and horror with clearIn her debut feature-length film British-born Iranian-American writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour takes her 2011 short of the same name and expands it into a unique a genre-straddling stylistic mashup of spaghetti-western and horror with clear heart of romance.

Much has been made of the film’s visual style and its aesthetic similarities to Jim Jarmusch’s work with Amirpour choosing to shoot in Monochrome (black & white spectrum) giving the landscape a stark look and smoothing over some of the obvious filming techniques which conspire with the soundtrack to create the familiar “retro-cool” of many recent indies.

There’s a lot to admire about this movie, in a small independent film Amirpour manages to take the “mysterious stranger” element of Sergio Leone westerns and subvert it using a young solitary girl as the ominous spectre that dishes out gruesome “justice” to “Bad City’s” sinful men, a feminist version of the “Angel of Death” paradigm if you will.

Despite the vampiric elements in the film however, this is really not much of a horror with the girl’s paranormal abilities serving only as a mechanism to drive the true heart of the story, an ultimately traditional tale of young forbidden love, albeit between two very nontraditional characters, set in a unique contemporary context.

For all its uniqueness and creativity there are also a lot of issues with the film, there’s way too much technique on show, to the point of tedium, unnecessarily long lingering shots set to an all too familiar Synthpop soundtrack that builds mood but not much else, all of which serve to disguise the fact that there is not much of a story to speak of in another recent indie example of a lot of style over much less substance.

‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’ is no doubt an interesting film debut set in a highly original context, but the sum of its parts does not necessarily translate to a compelling cinematic experience in what feels more like an impressive visual arts project or bizarrely funky music video than a feature length film.

The Bottom Line…
Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour will have to go a long way to justify the comparisons being made between her and Quentin Tarantino, writing unforgettable dialogue would be task no. 1, but despite the lack of a compelling storyline and issues with execution, ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’ is a refreshing take on a number of different genres and is a welcomingly creative debut from a director we look forward to following in the future.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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