The answer is: kind of. Robert Eggers shocks us with another twisted outing to our local cinema in the form of Nosferatu. The more seasoned film nerds will know this is a remake of the classic German expressionist film of the same name from 1922. While it is undeniably one for the slightly demonic amongst you readers to sink your teeth into (last vampire cliché I promise), there were some aspects of this movie that I felt bit off more than it could chew (I lied).
A True German Expressionist Piece
Let us start with the good. It is an absolutely beautiful film. Egger’s masterful direction curates landscapes rich with boldness, beauty, and character. Each shot was thought, planned, and executed with nuance and prowess, emphasising the overall eerie nature. The film’s blacks, browns, and blues take influence from its German expressionist roots and create a Gothic-Noir aesthetic to dazzle and despair viewers. This facilitated Eggers’ fantastic world-building, immersing us in the unease of an 1830s Germany haunted by our eponymous spectre.
I adored Eggers’ use of medium-long shots of our titular characters. In certain scenes, there were distinct spaces beside these characters when in conversation. To me, this connoted a sense of presence, as if the shadow of Nosferatu was ever-lurking. This made me feel gloriously uneasy as if even I was under the haunting influence of Skarsgård’s performance (I say ‘even I’ like I am not famously skittish).
A Bland Performance
Unfortunately, this is where I draw the line at compliments for the acting. I found the cast extremely dry and transparent. Of course, the basis of German expressionism involves a melodramatic performance. But in this instance, I felt I was watching an amateur dramatics production of unhinged Romeo and Juliet (not dissimilar to Hot Fuzz). Lily Rose-Depp was laughable, Aaron Taylor-Johnson was as bland as Lemon and Herb seasoning at Nando’s, and even Bill Skarsgård felt overbearing at points. I know he is literally playing a creepy dead guy, but could he stop breathing so deeply and aggressively? It became jarring and distracting from his otherwise quite horrifying portrayal. The saving grace was none other than Willem Dafoe, who approached the mad scientist caricature in a unique and refreshing manner.
Brim with Clichés
The story was predominantly simplistic and ultimately gave the actors little to work with. The dialogue and narrative itself were filled to the brim with clichés. I’m talking, “make haste”, or “take our leave”, and I swear there were more mentions of the phrase “forgive me” than of Nosferatu himself. It got repetitive and took me out of the illusion that I was witnessing the culture of its time.
Whilst German expressionism was expertly employed in Nosferatu’s cinematography and world-building, it was simply not enough to save the lousy acting and poorly written dialogue. So, if you go into this hungry for a bloody three-course meal, expect to leave with a dissatisfied empty stomach.