By Jack Lumsden

Blood splatter. OpenVerse.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, is set in the eerie, fictional Iranian town of Bad City, a place filled with despair and lawlessness. The film, blending elements of horror and western, centers around a mysterious vampire (The Girl) who roams the streets at night. It dives into themes like loneliness, morality, and freedom, showing how characters in this grim urban setting navigate their lives and relationships, especially focusing on gender dynamics and societal structures.

The film uses symbols creatively, like the gown worn by the vampire. It’s not just clothing but a symbol of hiding and power, as she uses it to conceal her identity while she hunts at night. Another symbol is the oil rigs seen throughout the movie, pumping continuously, which represent the endless, grinding poverty of the town and the exploitation of both people and natural resources. These symbols help the movie challenge traditional gender roles, and critique the constant economic exploitation in society.

The movie’s striking black and white visuals highlight its dark themes and the isolation felt by its characters. Camera techniques, like low-angle shots that make The Girl seem more powerful or high-angle shots that make others appear weaker, help show who has power at different points in the story. The way scenes are lit also separates characters from their backgrounds, making their personal struggles more intense. The female characters, especially The Girl, are shown in ways that challenge old fashioned ideas about gender, depicting women as complex and powerful figures.

The director Ana Lily Amirpour made A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night to challenge and rethink traditional views on gender and society. By mixing horror and western genres, she comments on gender and sexuality, showing The Girl as both a hunter and a symbol of justice against social wrongdoing. This film is different from others in its genre because it focuses on female strength in a detailed and prominent way. This movie not only changes how people think about its genre but also adds to the discussion about gender and power, making it an important and unique film in modern cinema.

A Girls Walks Home Alone at Night (NR) dir. Ana Lilly Amirpour (2014); 101 mins.