The movie begins, and "Soon" by My Bloody Valentine plays. At that point, I knew I was going to like this. While Nadja has some parts that drag, overall it's pretty good. What worked for me about the film is that it feels like a modern day Dracula's Daughter (1936). The similarities aren't superficial, either: Nadja is a Dracula - so, in that sense, she is literally Dracula's daughter - we get a Van Helsing, and a Renfield, not to mention a Lucy - her last name is never said, but it may as well be Westenra. We even get a quick shot of Lugosi from White Zombie (1932) - oddly enough, one of the few films where Bela did not play a vampire. All that aside, this is less a horror movie and more of an indie drama. The movie is shot in beautiful black and white; a mistake, I feel, is that at times it dives into an ultra-gritty, soft-focus look; those are the moments that will lose many people. There is also a heavy reliance on the music, to the degree that it feels more like a music video, and less a feature film - although, seeing as how twice the music choice is Portishead, I can't complain. Since 1995 was the year for artsy, black and white vampire movies, I have to mention The Addiction; this is by far the superior film. I'd recommend this to fans of vampire movies, especially the old classics.
Review by BronsonBlockedParent2024-03-06T06:26:11Z
The movie begins, and "Soon" by My Bloody Valentine plays. At that point, I knew I was going to like this.
While Nadja has some parts that drag, overall it's pretty good.
What worked for me about the film is that it feels like a modern day Dracula's Daughter (1936). The similarities aren't superficial, either: Nadja is a Dracula - so, in that sense, she is literally Dracula's daughter - we get a Van Helsing, and a Renfield, not to mention a Lucy - her last name is never said, but it may as well be Westenra. We even get a quick shot of Lugosi from White Zombie (1932) - oddly enough, one of the few films where Bela did not play a vampire.
All that aside, this is less a horror movie and more of an indie drama. The movie is shot in beautiful black and white; a mistake, I feel, is that at times it dives into an ultra-gritty, soft-focus look; those are the moments that will lose many people. There is also a heavy reliance on the music, to the degree that it feels more like a music video, and less a feature film - although, seeing as how twice the music choice is Portishead, I can't complain.
Since 1995 was the year for artsy, black and white vampire movies, I have to mention The Addiction; this is by far the superior film.
I'd recommend this to fans of vampire movies, especially the old classics.