BYZANTIUM

"My story can never be told. I write it over and over, wherever we can find shelter. I write of what I cannot speak - the truth". Young teenager Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) narrates as she scrawls these words into her diary one evening, only to tear the page out and cast it into the wind the following morning. "Maybe the birds can read it", she laments.

Eleanor, it transpires, travels a lot with her mother Clara (Gemma Arterton). They have to keep on the move because they share a secret that dictates as such: they're vampires.

A gory beheading and the killing of an elderly neighbour later, and it's time once again for this mother-daughter combo to move on from their latest digs before their nocturnal activities become conspicuous.

They travel overnight by bus to a seaside resort where, for a short while, all seems well. Clara resumes her vocation as a prostitute to fund their way, while Eleanor whiles away her time taking long walks, finding pianos to play and writing more melancholic entries into her disposable diary pages.

Their destinies are altered forever when Clara's latest trick, Noel (Daniel Mays), reveals that he's just inherited his late mother's hotel, Byzantium. The place is run-down, empty ... perfect for a couple of newcomers who wish to stay under the radar in their new surroundings. So, Clara and Eleanor take up Noel's offer of staying with him for a short while.

Alas, Ruthven (Jonny Lee Miller) is in pursuit of the couple - intent on having his revenge against Clara for a previous transgression. That's bad enough, perhaps, but things get even worse when Eleanor can't help herself but blurt out the truth about her circumstances to well-meaning Frank (Caleb Landry Jones).

Frank, unfortunately, isn’t the best at keeping secrets. And the residents of this lazy coastal town aren’t ready to accept vampires into their community...

Director Neil Jordan has dabbled in the horror genre before: THE COMPANY OF WOLVES was an auspicious debut; INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE made for a flawed but stylish addition to an otherwise ailing 90s horror scene.

BYZANTIUM is perhaps his darkest, grittiest foray into the genre. It's hardly hardcore territory - it looks gorgeous, is focused on a story as alternately fantastical as it is Earthy - but does at least exhibit a depth and artiness that the likes of TWILIGHT wouldn't even consider. Of all the recent bloodsucking films, its intelligent script and autumnal demeanour are most closely compared to LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.

Adapted for the screen by Moira Buffini from her own play, the film travels along two timelines (flashbacks reveal that Clara and Eleanor have been in this setting before, and also establish why they have such a formidable foe in Ruthven) but does so with seamless pacing. The screenplay approaches familial issues with insight and warmth, and is graceful enough to ensure characters occupy a convincingly grey moral area: there are no outright villains or victims.

Cinematography and set design are attractive throughout. The Hastings seaside location is often luscious – its empty beach making for a haunting metaphor for the girls’ timeless and lonely existence. It fits, too, with the melancholic tone set by Eleanor’s early yearning for something more, and her reticence when driven to kill.

The kill scenes themselves are handled with dark aggression, Jordan bringing a bit back to vampires that was lost on the TWILIGHT crowd. In a novel move, these women use their oversized thumbnails to hack their victims’ throats open. Gore is present but never excessive.

Performances are very good overall. Ronan takes top honours as the film’s heart; Arterton chooses to act her character out as a Victorian-era Cockney. It probably makes perfect sense, given her implied trajectory – but is still a tad odd in execution.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by BYZANTIUM. It looks ravishing, treats its audience with intelligence and restores some danger to the vampire myth. That it also takes the time to delve into themes of love, loyalty and destiny makes it all the more interesting.

Studio Canal's UK DVD release presents BYZANTIUM uncut in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, enhancing it for 16x9 playback.

As you'd expect, the presentation is pretty spectacular: sharp clarity without the need for digital enhancement; deep colours and blacks; an impressive sense of depth and detail; clean, clear images throughout. Jordan's film is sumptuous to look at, and Studio Canal have respected that aesthetic in this lovely transfer.

English audio comes in 2.0 and 5.1 mixes. Both are compelling propositions. The latter adds bassy oomph to key scenes, while both provide an impressive mix of remarkably balanced sound design and clean quieter passages.

Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read. An English-language 'audio descriptive' track is also on offer. The woman who delivers this is very thorough, even going so far as to describe the Studio Canal logo as the film starts!

An animated main menu page leads into a similarly animated scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

We get some interesting bonus features to complement Jordan's film.

The first is a 30-minute collection of interviews. Jordan, Arterton, Ronan and producer Stephen Woolley all speak to the screen during separate interviews conducted in a studio decorated with a BYZANTIUM poster in its background. Arterton comes across as warm and sincere - one of the few actresses who actually looks prettier in person than she does in character. Jordan has that faux awkward demeanour about him, but soon warms to discussing the film's themes and how great his cast were to work with. Ronan tells of how she and Jordan had been meaning to work with each other for years. Really?! You're only, like, 12 or whatever! Still, she has the good sense to condemn the TWILIGHT films. Riley meanwhile pops up in an interview which appears to have taken place on the film's shoot. He's a bit more serious than the others, and possibly believes that the script is real. Bless him.

BYZANTIUM premiered at London's FrightFest event and an 18-minute featurette follows which was recorded there. It finds the above participants - minus Riley (perhaps he was busy hiding from vampires) - engaging in a spirited audience Q&A session, moderated by Alan Jones. It makes for a decent watch, but most of what's discussed recycles what we've just heard in the interviews.

A 2-minute trailer does exhale a whiff of TWILIGHT. Distributors can be misleading cunts sometimes, we all know that.

In truth, Jordan's return to vampiric cinema is nothing like that horrible teen franchise. It's a thoughtful, thought-provoking and undeniably atmospheric drama that - while perhaps never reaching the pitch hardened horror fans may be hoping for - offers something more entertaining and cerebral than anything R-Patz is ever likely to star in.

Also available on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis