As I've said in all my previous posts about this film, it's the best vampire
film ever. You might disagree, but it strikes a chord with me. In
the vampire mythology of this film it's said that there are only 40 vampires
in Europe, 200 worldwide, and all of them are women. The men have been wiped
out because they were too loud and too stupid. Now a consensus has been
reached that no more men should be turned. As a feminist who believes in the
inherent superiority of women over men, I can easily accept this as a premise.
The vampiresses, of whom three live in Berlin, have adapted to the lack of
male vampire companions in different ways. Louise has become a lesbian.
Charlotte has lost interest in any sort of sexual activity. The thrill of
drinking blood is all she needs.
Nora still likes men, but for sex only. No emotional attachment. After having
sex with a man she kills him. That's not a problem, because there are millions
to choose from in Berlin alone. She could take and break a man every day for
hundreds of years and never run out of willing partners.
Lena is recruited as the fourth vampiress in Berlin. Ultimately, it's
her emotional attachment to men that brings her down. Louise offers Lena her
love, but Lena isn't ready for a lesbian relationship. She can't live like
Nora, because she still has an aversion to killing. She has feelings for
a mortal man, a police detective, and she puts his safety above that of her fellow
vampiresses. This is a weakness of some, though not all women. Emotions are
good, but a woman shouldn't allow her emotions to take priority over her
reasoning.
Does Lena eventually act against the consensus and make her lover a vampire?
The question is left open at the end of the film. I suspect that she does, but
it's up to the viewer to make up his own mind.
This is one of the few German films in recent years that was on general release
in UK cinemas. It was still a failure at the box office. Nobody takes German
films seriously. The people who haven't seen this film are missing out.
Success Rate: - 6.6
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