A visually stimulating tale of darkness and mortality

Rating: 7/10 (3 March 2008)

I'm trying to get over the fact that the ending of the film makes absolutely no sense to me (unless i'm looking hard for something that's not there). When I do get past that, however, I find that "Interview with the Vampire" is a very beautifully told tale that looks deep into the heart of what evil truly is.
Based on Anne Rice's novel (and also her screenplay) "Interview" is the retelling of Louis's (a vampire) story of how he became a vampire. The story starts in 18th century Louisiana where Louis (Brad Pitt) encounters an opportunity for eternal life when he is seeking death. A vampire named Lestat (Tom Cruise) gives him this opportunity with the expectation of companionship. When Louis has trouble disconnecting his human moral compass from his blood-lusting monster of a self, Lestat tries to test him and eventually brings him another companion when he makes Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) a vampire as well. The story is Louis's search for an understanding of this immortal life that he can come to terms with, which results in a film that explores deep into the notion of immortality with a price.
The film's beauty comes from the very lavish sets and the strong mystical element that is worked into every set. Though the setting is all real world, because the film explores the fantastical world of vampires, everything seems surreal and magical. Dante Ferretti has created another beautiful movie world and Neil Jordan makes it shine through his camera-work. Jordan really brings Rice's screenplay to life, or else you'd be looking at a particularly boring film.
Cruise as Lestat was a good choice. He is downright creepy and conveys the sense of moral ambiguity that Lestat represents. Pitt also shows both the strong and the weak sides of Louis, though he is not as skilled with handling some of the film's melodrama. Dunst is probably the most praiseworthy. Having to portray a child who technically has wisdom beyond her appearance is a challenge and Dunst is behind some of the film's best scenes and most suspenseful moments. Her fits of rage are probably the most interesting as is her character's predicament with never growing up, which really starts the conversation about mortality and the film's themes.
Though some plot clarity would have been nice and a little less melodrama would have helped make the themes really significant to the rest of the film, "Interview" is a successful film from a visual standpoint. The craftsmen of this film, everyone from production design to costumes and make-up, truly made this film take off from okay to good and very interesting. There is no doubt that you are deeply interested in what happens to these characters and that is thanks to the actors and the incredible world that was envisioned for them to act in. ~Steven C
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