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In the sister film to the Funeral philosophy student Kathleen Conklin is dragged into an alley and bitten by Casanova and left to bleed. Despite hospital care she begins to change and have strange desires. With her desires controlling her turns to Peina for help.

A sister film in that both film share a crew, a writer and some of the cast. The genres are very different but the themes are the same – religion and redemption. The vampire thing isn't played like it usually is – stakes through the heart etc, these are mentioned but not laboured. Instead the story is about the origins of sin and the extent it controls us and how we can be redeemed. It cleverly uses the vampire myth as an allegory for wider human evil – `We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. We aren't evil because we do evil, we do evil because we are evil'.

At times it gets a little heavy – the ending in particular takes some interpretation and the message can be easily misunderstood. However ignoring the message this also stands up as a great vampire film – the party which turns into a massacre is as good (if not better) then the nightclub opening of Blade, and much more meaningful to boot. Ferrara is a master director who has never followed the money to blockbusters – here he is in total control of his themes and the film rarely loses focus. His clever use of music is also good – a blend of all styles. The theme song feels like it's going to be a 1980's romantic comedy, but this blends straight into hip-hop and others to create a mix that never feels strange – in fact a baseline seems to run under the whole film like a heartbeat.

Lili Taylor is on top form as Conklin and commands attention the whole time. Walken and Sciorra are both good but have less screen time than in the Funeral, however here, as there, they have key lines of dialogue that carry tremendous weight. Sopranos co-stars Falco and Imperioli are both good but are no more than bit players. The real stars are Ferrara and writer Nicolas St John, who wrote this and The Funeral after the death of his son.

Overall this is a great film that serves up more for thought than for action. To this end it won't please those expecting a Blade style vampire film but to fans of Ferrara used to his themes this will be very enjoyable.

'The Addiction' is one of the most original vampire movies ever made. In fact, I can't think of another one quite like it. Abel Ferrara has made some strange and disturbing movies in his time, and this one is as strange and disturbing as any. Lili Taylor ('I Shot Andy Warhol') is brilliant as a troubled, soul searching philosophy student who has an unexpected and life-changing encounter with a mysterious stranger ('Cop Land's Annabella Sciorra). Dark, deep, sometimes blackly humorous, and frequently too obscure for its own good, this can be heavy going at times, but is never less than interesting. Christopher Walken, who did some superb work for Ferrara in his classic 'The King Of New York', has only a cameo here, but what a cameo! Walken is terrific and unforgettable. The rest of the supporting cast includes 'The Sopranos' Edie Falco and (briefly) Michael Imperioli, Paul Calderon ('Girlfight'), and Kathryn Erbe ('Stir Of Echoes'). This is a unique movie that will be appreciated by those with an open mind and preference for "difficult" viewing. Recommended.

The Addiction (1995)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Student Kathleen Conklin (Lili Taylor) is walking home when Casanova (Annabella Sciorra) pulls her into a dark alley and bites her neck. Over the next few days Kathleen feels herself starting to change and quickly she grows an addiction for blood.

Abel Ferrara had a number of films that showed drug addiction including BAD LIEUTENANT, which he made a few years before this one. That film showed the addiction of heroin (and other things) and perfectly showed the downfall of what the drug could do. THE ADDICTION in many ways is another film about heroin but the difference is that it is turned into a vampire film. There have been countless vampire films over the years but leave it to Ferrara to turn the genre upside down and do something original.

As I said, the main character here is a vampire and shows an addiction for blood but it's easy to see that you can look at it the same way you would a heroin addiction. The various withdraws that Kathleen goes through are the same that you'd see for heroin but the director shows it through the eyes of a vampire. I must admit that I was really shocked to see how well the connection worked and there's no question that Ferrara milks it for all it's worth.

Even more impressive was the B&W cinematography, which is without question some of the greatest that you'll ever see. The cinematography really becomes its own character here as the director creates an incredibly thick and depression atmosphere. The decision to make this in B&W was extremely wise and it really pays off because it really does feel as if you're watching dead people move around in their world. The perfect use of rap music on the score just adds to the atmosphere and it really pays off.

Of course, another major aspect are the performances with Taylor delivering a striking character. I was really impressed with the actress because she really does a fantastic job at playing the various stages of the addiction. Seeing how she constantly changes throughout the film shows what a talent Taylor was and it's certainly unforgettable and deserves much more attention. Christopher Walken has an extended cameo here and does a wonderful job as well. The supporting players are all extremely effective in their parts as well.

THE ADDICTION isn't your typical vampire film but that's what makes it so special. The film demands that you pay close attention to everything going on but Ferrara has created a really dark and interesting world for these characters to live in and the film is highly recommended.

The Addiction is one of the more thoughtful films about vampirism available today.

While the film is incredibly thoughtful, with loads of subtext at every corner, it borders, and sometimes crosses into, pretention. There are times where the narration is attempting to add subtext, but it's so heavy-handed that the film loses sight of the fact it's a horror film. I'd argue it's thought piece first and horror film second, honestly. Maybe that makes it even more frightening.

Christopher Walken is wonderful, and Lili Taylor does a fine job, as well. The choice to shoot the film in black and white was a great idea, as well. There's a real focus placed on the ideas the film is pursuing.

Even though the subject of the horror in this film are vampires, the movie is truly describing humanity.

I haven't seen THE ADDICTION in ten years, but I do recommend it from what I remember. And the list of attractive concepts are, envelope please: Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Anabella Sciorra, black and white meta-fictional film, and of course vampires galore! Abel Ferrara has directed other well known movies such as Bad Lieutenant, California, and the Funeral. Of these movies, I mildly recommend the first two but definitely not the third. The Funeral is plain boring and dreary, while the other two entertain by showing the gritty side of human nature.

Caution, if you're the type of vampire fan who must have each actor decked out in fangs and yellow contacts, then steer clear of this movie, since it's really questionable whether the characters in THE ADDICTION are actually vampires or are just plain junkies in nice clothes.

Lastly, there is a very complex philosophical feel to THE ADDICTION, as Lili Taylor muses about life and death in deep conversations in different venues around New York City: a college book store, movie theater, etc. I recommend any philosopher out there to grab THE ADDICTION off the shelves as soon as possible.

Speaking of the mid-90's, that short-lived era was a golden age for indie actors like Lili Taylor and Parker Posey. Taylor got a taste of vampire-hood early on in this movie, and fortunately for us, and for the committee, Posey got her fangs in Blade 3, which I was very happy to see happen. I mean, come on, all those party girls are really vampires at heart.

JY

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