As we grow older, we are eventually forced to reconcile the world of our youth with the world of today. Having done so, we must invariably conclude that world has only gotten worse. Two elder vampires in Only Lovers Left Alive seem to have reached a similar conclusion, as they lead small, quiet lives on opposite sides of the globe.

When the burden of eternal life seems to be weighing too heavily upon Adam, his lover Eve leaves her beloved Tunisia and returns to console him in his wasteland of choice: Detroit. When their peaceful existence is further threatened by the sudden arrival of Eve’s impulsive sister Ava, chaos ensues in earnest.

This languid, character driven tale is a much more intimate view of vampires. These creatures live in introspective seclusion from the world, each other, perhaps themselves. Mr. Jarmusch seems to be showing us that a vampire’s greatest weakness may ultimately be the weight of their lengthy lives… a kind of terminal nostalgia, that can only be cured by love — and a little blood.