Synopsis:
Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Written and Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe
Edition:
Theater – opening day
My Thoughts:
I enjoy Robert Eggers. He had me in The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and now he has me in Nosferatu. I think I might love him. He has a visual style – let’s call it “batshit but make it beautiful” that really appeals to me. Each movie has at least one truly standout shot (editor’s note: these are just the best, in like, my opinion, man) – in The Witch it was this one:
In The Lighthouse (this one was extra tough for me, as I think this movie is profoundly beautiful):
In The Northman it was this one:
And in Nosferatu, I think it’s gonna be this one (going to have to watch again to be sure):
I think Robert Eggers is the writer/director you go to if you want to see a beautiful vision fully realized. And the cast that was assembled for Nosferatu was spectacular. Even the ones I normally don’t enjoy watching (ok, so that’s just Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who I feel has some spectacularly lackluster performances under his belt – but this is decidedly NOT one of them).
Bill Skarsgård does a wonderfully terrifying job as Count Orlok. He’s so spooky and so intimidating that at times it’s a little hard to watch him. His performance coupled with the cinematography and general direction of the movie is stunning, if I’m being honest. They are a match made in…Hell, I guess? Heaven seems inappropriate. But it’s good stuff. I expect good work from all the Skarsgårds though. They all bring it when they take a part (I’m looking at you, Meekus!).
Lily-Rose Depp was probably the biggest surprise for me. I had only seen her previously in Yoga Hosers, which, although it was an entertaining movie, was not exactly a showcase for anyone’s acting chops. She is incredibly good as Ellen Hutter, the woman Orlok lusts after, and the crux of the entire story. Her performance was so emotionally charged, and so beautifully portrayed that I was left in awe. Is she a truly talented actor? I don’t know – time will tell. But I imagine after this turn, she’ll be drowning in offers. She held her own in a cast of incredibly talented people, and she came out with one of the best performances among them. She held her own against a Skarsgård. Against Nicholas Hoult (who plays her husband Thomas Hutter, and who is always amazing), and against WILLEM GODDAMN DAFOE. I’m impressed, if we’re being honest.
Also, Dafoe is predictably wonderful as the eccentric Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz. I know, Willem Dafoe playing an eccentric – unbelievable. But, he is, as usual, a shining star in a cast of shining stars. His character is a delight. And he’s not comic relief. This is not a comedic story, and he doesn’t try to make it so. He’s just both delightfully weird, and completely assimilated into the cast.
“I have seen things in this world that would make Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother’s womb. We are not so enlightened as we are blinded by the gaseous light of science.”
If you’ve seen the original Nosferatu (or the Herzog remake in which Orlok becomes Dracula and the Hutters are the Harkers), you’re not going to see any new story here. But what you will see is the passion of a bunch of people who clearly respect the source material (in which I mean Nosferatu, as well as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, although certainly the movie over the novel) in a movie composed so perfectly that the 2 hour, 12 minute run time flies by in a flash. I deeply respect the decision to keep Orlok in the shadows, and to keep him as a shadow for a large portion of the movie – especially any time he is interacting with Ellen.
Rating:
I want to watch this movie many more times and see what else pops out at me. I genuinely enjoyed it.
Nosferatu
Written and Directed by: Robert Eggers
US Release Date: December 25, 2024
Focus Features
Rated R
132 Minutes
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