| The Addiction | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Abel Ferrara |
| Produced by | Preston L. Holmes Russell Simmons Denis Hann Fernando Sulichin |
| Written by | Nicholas St. John |
| Starring | Lili Taylor Christopher Walken Annabella Sciorra Edie Falco Paul Calderón Fredro Starr Kathryn Erbe Michael Imperioli Jamal Simmons |
| Music by | Joe Delia |
| Cinematography | Ken Kelsch |
| Editing by | Mayin Lo |
| Distributed by | October Films |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $302,393 |
The Addiction is an unconventional 1995 vampire film directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Lili Taylor, Edie Falco, Paul Calderón and Christopher Walken. It was written by Ferrara's regular screenwriter, Nicholas St John, filmed in black-and-white and released simultaneously with Ferrara's period gangster film, The Funeral.
The film is widely considered an allegory about drug addiction.
Contents |
Kathleen Conklin (Taylor), a young philosophy student at New York University, is attacked by a woman (Annabella Sciorra), who tells her "order me to go away" and, when the frightened Kathleen is unable to do so, bites her neck and drinks her blood. Kathleen develops several of the traditional symptoms of vampirism, including aversion to daylight, but the film's main focus is on her moral degradation. It is hinted that vampires become immortal in this film, the price being an addiction to blood. Vampires are shown repeatedly resorting to the strategy of blaming their victims for not being strong enough to resist them. As one of Kathleen's victims weeps incredulously over the damage, Kathleen coldly informs her: "My indifference is not the concern here - it's your astonishment that needs studying." Eventually Kathleen meets Peina (Walken), who claims to have almost conquered his addiction, and as a result is almost human. For a time he keeps her in his home trying to help her overcome hers, recommending that she read William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch. At her graduation party, she says "I'd like to share a little bit of what I've learned" she and her victims (now vampires themselves) attack the party goers, precipitating in a bloody, chaotic vampire orgy.
In an ambiguous finale, Kathleen is again confronted with the woman who first bit her, who stops her suicide attempt and quotes R. C. Sproul to her. But Conklin resists, receives absolution from a Catholic priest, and is shown walking away from a grave with her own name on it, in broad daylight. Coincidentally, her birthdate on the tombstone is Hallowe'en, 1967. The date of her death is November 1, 1994. The Biblical quote inscribed is John 11:25.
The film was nominated for the Golden Bear award at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Blue Angel Award.[1] Lili Taylor won Best Foreign Actress Sant Jordi Award. Film also received Best Actress (Taylor), Best Film (Abel Ferrara) and Special Mention Award for outstanding acting performance of Academy Award-winner actor Christopher Walken in Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. The film was also nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards and won Critics Award in Mystfest and was also nominated for Best Film[2]. The film has received high praise from the critic Peter Bradshaw, who named it as one of his top ten favourite films in a 2002 Sight and Sound poll.[3]
|
|||||||||||||||||