Being a massive David Lynch fan, and thanks to “Nadja” being released under a “David Lynch presents” moniker, I saw Michael Almereyda's film way back in the mid-90's when it originally came out. Like a huge chunk of the images in this film, my mind is fuzzy as whether I saw it on the big screen or on video, but I do remember that I found “Nadja”a difficult viewing experience. However when the new restoration of the film was announced to play at MIFF, I thought I would re-visit it and see if a second viewing would be more rewarding.
As soon as the film started I was totally swept up and mesmerised by the gorgeous monochrome images on display, entranced by a hooded Elina Lowensohn as she talks to strangers in a New York city bar. I could immediately tell that I was going to fall in love with “Nadja” hard, this time around, which is exactly what happened. I couldn't believe how unbelievably cool the film was and furthermore was stunned that my younger twenty year old self failed to see it. How could a film that was executive produced by Lynch, starring a pair of hot indie actors (in Lowensohn and Martin Donovan, who at that time were regulars in Hal Hartley's films), and was about Dracula's daughter finally breaking free and coming out of the shadows of her famous father after his sudden passing, be anything other than awesome? What was I missing here?!? How did I find this film so difficult back in the nineties? I was totally in love with the very unusual and, dare I say it, hip atmosphere of this very strange vampire tale and I couldn't have been more impressed by Jim Denault's black and white cinematography which suited the moody tone of the film perfectly. It also showcased Lowensohn's immense beauty, highlighting the hypnotic quality that suits to a tea the portrayal of this very powerful, but lonely, vampire.
Then it happens. The first image shot via the PixelVision camera, used to differentiate a kind of vampire point of view (apparently), and suddenly it all came flooding back to me. It was this exact reason I disliked “Nadja” during my first viewing, way back when, because a large chunk of the film borders on the unwatchable thanks to Almereyda's baffling decision to use the PixelVision camera for parts of his film. For those that are unaware, the PixelVision camera was actually a children's toy that used audiotape to produce a very (very) low resolution black and white image. As it's name may suggest, the image is heavily pixelated at the best of times, but projected on a huge cinema screen makes the whole thing look like it escaped from a “Minecraft” game. I honestly cannot wrap my head around how a professional filmmaker would think that using a children's toy to film part of his movie would benefit it in any way. He is effectively sabotaging his own film because these scenes look absolutely atrocious and we are not talking a shot used here and there, Michael Almereyda has shot entire scenes using this toy, destroying all the beauty and atmosphere “Nadja” had previous, in the process. I am also not convinced in the claim that those shots are from the vampire's point of view, as a lot of those shots are not from their eyes at all, as the vampires exist in the frame too. I think if Almereyda had been strict in his use of the PixelVision camera only for the vampire points of view, I would have begrudgingly accepted it, but it seems like he just decided to shoot certain scenes with it, no rhyme or reason. I will admit that it is used when Nadja hypnotises people, so I assume that is why people parrot the claim that the PixelVision shots are from the point of view of the vampires, but they are not the only moments it is used. I understand there was a massive financing issue with “Nadja” with the film's key financier dropping out late, so maybe this was a decision to cut costs, however I believe it was probably done to appeal to the hip art house crowd to give them something to rave about. I know I am going on about the PixelVision camera, but whatever the reason for its use, it was a horrible, horrible decision and I cannot understand how a director would actively contribute to destroying their own film, which is exactly what Michael Almereyda has done with “Nadja”. Rant over.
It is funny how the PixelVision scenes totally disrupted my feelings and enjoyment of “Nadja”, and a film that I was thinking of giving four stars, started plummeting in my eyes. The more it went along, the more it continued to annoy me, and by the film's end I had had enough of it, and what I once felt was a genuinely cool flick morphed into “faux” cool, pandering to it's hip art house audience. If I was being honest though, “Nadja” has issues right from the get-go, as I do not know what Peter Fonda (as Van Helsing) is doing in the film, but I wouldn't call it acting. His performance is all over the place, and often times very silly, but it holds no gravitas in what should be a very important character within the film. The story does legitimately lose steam also past the midway point and the scenes in Transylvania are not convincing at all.
The biggest positive of “Nadja” is Elina Lowensohn who is perfectly cast as the titular character, with her performance having enough mystery, melancholy and the hint of the unusual to be truly memorable. She is outstanding here, and the camera absolutely loves her too. It was also so great to just see David Lynch once more in his brief cameo as a morgue attendant. The funny thing about his cameo scene, it has a completely different feel and atmosphere to the rest of “Nadja” and if it came out that Lynch himself directed that one scene, it would not surprise me; it all has to do with the use of ambient sound in this scene, which Lynch is a master at.
Overall, the new 4K restoration of Michael Almereyda's “Nadja” is an absolute stunner, perfectly highlighting Jim Denault's gorgeous black and white cinematography and Elina Lowensohn's naturally beautiful facial features. The film begins brilliantly, as I found myself watching the coolest vampire film of the nineties, before Almereyda sabotages his own film by his decision to shoot parts of it using a children's toy camera produced by Fisher Price. It is a baffling choice and one “Nadja” cannot recover from as it totally takes the viewer out of the film, and by its end, it becomes tedious to sit through.
2.5 Stars.
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