Somos la noche

I do wonder why people waste the talent and money on shallow movies like this one? And why they also make the topics even shallower?

If this was an anime (does anyone think the movie was truly inuenced by some anime or manga), it would be an ok piece, but as a movie... Nah!

Before I begin I will have address the fact that this film has been compared to Twilight a lot in reviews. This is film has very little to do with Twilight. Just because a vampire film has teenagers and vampires in it does not make it a Twilight rip. There where romantic teen- vampire flicks before Twilight( The Lost Boys, Near Dark). It's not an invention of Twilight.

The plot revolves around three decadent and wealthy vampire girls. They move around in Berlin at night in search for blood and pleasure. Their leader Louise(Nina Hoss), is also looking for that special lady, the one you want to spend your entire life together with. This special lady turns about to be dysfunctional youth criminal Lena(Karoline Herfurth).

Louise turns Lena into a vampire and introduces her to the life as a vampire, a life Lena enjoys at first until she has to deal with the disturbing side effects.

First I want to bring up the good things about this movie. The atmosphere is great and the cinematography in simple gorgeous. It's a real treat for the eye and we get lots of very slick and beautiful visuals. The most beautiful scene is Lena's transformation into a vampire when her inner beauty is set free.

Another thing this movie does well is the portrait of vampire life. It often happens in modern vampire films that you get to much of the good side of vice versa, but in best Interview with the Vampire style we get a balanced portrayal. Sure, immortality is great, you can party all night and never grow old and die but all the people you love will grow old and die while you stay the same. If you find a mortal that you really love you can't be with him because of risk you might kill him in the heat of the moment. This is portrayed very well through vampires Charlotte( the very talented Jenny Ulrich) and Nora( the lovely Anna Fischer) who are most well written and well acted characters in the film. Both of them have very heartbreaking scenes in the second half of the movie but I won't tell you more than that.

Other than that, the special effects are done well and the music is great. The soundtrack is filled with great songs that not only add to the atmosphere but works as a Greek chorus, commenting on the plot and the feelings of the characters.

Gansel's directing is outstanding. Following the "show, don't tell" principle he allows his actors to often do the most emotional scenes without dialog. Instead, the looks on the actors faces tells the emotional turmoil behind them. The effect is wonderful. One strange result however is that the word "vampire" is never mentioned. The movie is so good at making us understand that is does not have to.

The negative parts on the other hand is the romance between Lena and Officer Tom(Max Riemelt) I could buy that these people care for one another cause the film builds it up to that in a fine way, but that they fall in love? No, I don't buy that. It douse not feel like there is any hint at romance. As I said, it's oblivious they could and should care for each other but a romance seemed to be forced in by the producers. The relationship between Lena and Tom is to undeveloped for that.

Also, without spoiling anything, the ending was a bit rushed and could have lasted a little longer. It comes off as much weaker than the rest of the film. But it does not destroy the rest of the film.

There is not much violence. Most of it is off-screen deaths and dead, bloody bodies. There is a not graphic bite, but there is also one very graphic scene where Charlotte takes paper cut to a new level. That will sure to satisfy the gore hounds and is the best death in a vampire-movie since the lawn gnome-scene in Frostbitten.

Wir sind die Nacht does not really add anything to the vampire mythology, but has it's fair place within it. The vampires are beautiful, but deadly as it should be. Don't ask for originality( the only one you get is the fact that the girl vampires of the world have killed off all the vampire men), but expect a nice and great looking thrill ride. Wir sind die Nacht also has a great re-watch value which is always a huge plus.

The cinematography reflects the damaged characters. Just as they may appear glamorous they are really hurt inside.Torsten Breuer films the night scenes in vivid and spectacular color while the day scenes are shoot in a way that makes the light of the sun seem cold and the city of Berlin look dirty and not glamorous at all. When brought into light, we see what how tragic these characters are. There are no villains, just damaged people who needs love, but that is denied from them.

In 1979, Werner Herzog showed that Germany knew their vampires, and in 2010 Dennis Gansel shows they still does.

Wir sind die Nacht - We are the Night – CATCH IT (B+) A German movie deals with deals with a young woman who gets bitten by a female vampire and drawn into her world. She falls in love with a young police officer who investigates a murder case involving the vampires. Wir sind die Nacht took its inspiration from Carmilla rather than Dacula which was a wise decision and it made the movie really interesting and enjoyable. Wir sind die Nacht has a top notch production value and performance by all the leading actresses. Initially it looked like Karoline Herfurth playing Lena took her inspiration from Lisbeth Slander but once she is bitten and becomes Vampire she transforms into this gorgeous young girl. The transition is so drastic that a person like me who have not seen her previously in any movie was completely stunned. Nino Hoss is powerful as the vampire leader and I saw her recently in "The Woman in Berlin" so it was shocking to see her in such urban movie. Jennifer Ulrich is gorgeous; she literally looked like someone stole her from 1920s. Anna Fischer as vamp party girl brought her spunk to her spunky character. Max Riemelt is the hottest German actor alive, darn he sizzles on screen. His chemistry with Karoline Herfurth made the small love story really interesting. We are the Night is one of the best Vampire movie I have seen in recent years, its urban, chic and filled with strong performances. I would love to see a sequel for sure as the ending was ambiguous.

Loved it! Watch the original though (don't be afraid of subtitles, you'll get used to them!)

This was a fantastic bit of escapism. I thought the production value was on par with Iron Sky (2012) and there were some unique and memorable scenes like in the bathroom and then in the bath. There were beautiful sequences like the opening, the car chase and the fight scenes.

I was expecting something like Vamps (2012) with Alicia Silverstone which I really enjoyed, but this was definitely not played for laughs and was fairly gruesome in some parts.

Max Riemelt just became my new favourite male actor! Both he and Karoline Herfurth played their parts brilliantly and they had plenty of chemistry.

I would have liked to have seen more backstory for the vampires, perhaps some flashbacks of their former lives but this is a minor criticism.

If you're a fan of this genre, it's definitely one to watch! 8/10

The vampires Louise (Nina Hoss), Charlotte (Jennifer Ulrich) and Nora (Anna Fischer) arrive in Berlin after attacking the passengers and crew of an airplane in a flight to Paris. The leader Louise has been looking for centuries for her missed love and Charlotte misses her daughter that she saw in 1923 for the last time. Meanwhile, the smalltime pickpocket Lena (Karoline Herfurth) steals a Russian mobster and is chased by Detective Tom (Max Riemelt).

When Lena goes to a nightclub, the lesbian Louise believes that Lena is the love of her life and transforms her into a vampire. Lena initially feels lost with the transformation, but sooner she joins the trio of vampires in their nightlife. When the pack of vampires attacks a group of criminals, the police department investigates the case and hunts the women without knowing the risks that they are taking. Meanwhile the lonely Tom and the Lena fall in love with each other; but the unrequited love of Lena for Louise jeopardizes the couple.

"Wir Sind die Nacht" is a pleasant vampire movie, with action, humor, drama and romance. The beginning is a sort of tribute to Nosferatu and Dracula of Bram Stoker, with the female vampires killing the passengers and crew of an airplane the same way Nosferatu and Dracula do with the crew of the ship that arrives at Wismar without any living soul.

The plot is very well constructed and actually dramatic and mature, on the contrary of most of the American films of the genre. The actresses are very beautiful and talented; the cinematography and the camera work are magnificent and in the end, I loved this film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "As Donas da Noite" ("The Owners of the Night")

Note: On 26 January 2015, I saw this movie again on Blu-Ray.