I have watched this film twice now and am after the last viewing slightly less confused than I was, but still rather baffled.
In magazine reviews that I have read of this film the emphasis is always on the use as vampirism as a metaphor for addiction - the first time I watched the film I was surprised as the majority of the film seemed to be about philosophy that I didn't understand and the addiction metaphor, though resulting in two extremely powerful scenes (when the main character is in withdrawal and kills the man trying to help her and also when she is fighting against her addiction in a closet...) seemed overwhelmed by all the talking! Now I think I understand it a little better; addiction can mean how we are addicted to hurting other people because of our own selfishness. The end struck me as strange - at first I presumed the Christian symbolism must mean something else that I couldn't fathom: I suppose I think that people who direct these kinds of films must be entirely nihilistic and not have much time for religion! After some thought I concluded that the only way for Katherine to be redeemed, and for us all to be redeemed is to completely lose our own identity (tying in with Christopher Walken's earlier comment about how one has to blend in and not stick out) - however this is rather too troubling for a girl of little brain such as myself to cope with and I still haven't decided whether I think the end was positive or not! The film's flaw is I think the endless philosophical babble - if one hasn't studied the people Katherine is studying for her course, you will have a hard time keeping up. However the extremely good acting and direction makes up for this. The choice to film it in black and white arguably makes it more disturbing, and the graduation scene is truly scary. The highpoint is undoubtedly Christopher Walken's superb cameo but there is much to enjoy besides his brief appearance.
In magazine reviews that I have read of this film the emphasis is always on the use as vampirism as a metaphor for addiction - the first time I watched the film I was surprised as the majority of the film seemed to be about philosophy that I didn't understand and the addiction metaphor, though resulting in two extremely powerful scenes (when the main character is in withdrawal and kills the man trying to help her and also when she is fighting against her addiction in a closet...) seemed overwhelmed by all the talking! Now I think I understand it a little better; addiction can mean how we are addicted to hurting other people because of our own selfishness. The end struck me as strange - at first I presumed the Christian symbolism must mean something else that I couldn't fathom: I suppose I think that people who direct these kinds of films must be entirely nihilistic and not have much time for religion! After some thought I concluded that the only way for Katherine to be redeemed, and for us all to be redeemed is to completely lose our own identity (tying in with Christopher Walken's earlier comment about how one has to blend in and not stick out) - however this is rather too troubling for a girl of little brain such as myself to cope with and I still haven't decided whether I think the end was positive or not! The film's flaw is I think the endless philosophical babble - if one hasn't studied the people Katherine is studying for her course, you will have a hard time keeping up. However the extremely good acting and direction makes up for this. The choice to film it in black and white arguably makes it more disturbing, and the graduation scene is truly scary. The highpoint is undoubtedly Christopher Walken's superb cameo but there is much to enjoy besides his brief appearance.