Film: Not Like Others
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 78 mins
Director: Peter Pontikis
Starring: Jenny Lampa, Ruth Vega Fernandez, David Dencik, Omid Khansari, Peter Järn
Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Chelsea
Format: DVD
Country: Sweden
Thanks to the ridiculous success of the Twilight saga over the last few years, vampire movies are hot property. So hot in fact that it’s starting to become a worldwide obsession; Sweden’s Let The Right One In (2008) and South Korea’s Thirst (2009) being two notable examples – the former having already been remade by Hollywood, soon to be released. Naturally, distributors and producers want to flood the market with as many vampire movies as possible, which leads us to Not Like Others; a film made back in 2008 that has been given a wider release.
Not Like Others is the story of Vera (Jenny Lampa) and Vanja (Ruth Vega Fernandez), two vampire sisters ostracised by the normal world who live like outcasts on the fringes of society. Vera has learned to accept her fate, killing in the name of sustenance, but Vanja, a chronic depressive, is desperate to adapt despite the risk of being found out.
Wanting to enjoy some of the Stockholm nightlife, Vera drags Vanja along to a nightclub. Whilst Vanja mopes at the bar, the leader of a local, tattoo-sporting biker-gang propositions Vera on the dance floor. After several unwanted advances, Vera concedes and lures the man into one of the club’s toilet cubicles where she decides to feed on his haemorrhaging blood. Vanja gets her fill before they both promptly leave the club.
Upon discovering that their leader has been murdered, the gang are in hot pursuit, as Vera and Vanja run for their lives…
Made in the same year, set in the same city, tackling similar subject matter, and exhibiting a similar cold and detached iconography as the critically acclaimed Let The Right One In, Not Like Others certainly has its work cut out in terms of distancing itself from unwanted comparisons. The similarities listed at the start of this paragraph are hard to ignore, plus the fact that both films use vampirism as a metaphor for social inadequacy and acceptance. Having said that, Not Like Others manages to do its own thing, making it an intriguing, yet flawed companion piece.
Flashbacks interspersed throughout the ongoing chase take into account often overlooked details about the day-to-day realities of vampires living in a modern world: Vera and Vanja gate crashing a house party to plunder the coat room for money, as their destitute living arrangement and their inability to withstand sunlight puts neither of them in a good position to function in a conventional manner; i.e. through employment. Another flashback suggests Vanja’s reluctance to murder people for food – as it’s pointed out earlier that they’re unable to process normal foodstuffs – opting to loot a hospital for blood packs. However, despite the potential of being a rare gem in a subgenre of mostly lacklustre offerings, Not Like Others is unfortunately not as successful as it could’ve been.
The film quite wisely and refreshingly plays down on its vampire conceit, eschewing much of the usual dogma for an altogether realistic approach. There is absolutely no talk of crosses, silver or garlic; there is no superhuman speed or strength attributed to either Vera or Vanja. They don’t even have fangs, a controversial and bold move that further leans the film towards being a text about prejudice and existing outside the norm as opposed to a work of pure fancy. Vera carries a small knife in which to puncture the throats of her victims before feeding on the spilled contents. On the upside, this obliterates all opportunity for annoying and cliché open-mouthed-hissing-to-camera moments that plague almost every other vampire flick out there.
However, this minimalism represents a double edged sword, resulting in a woefully underwritten script and a plot that’s stretched so thin you’d be forgiven if you thought that there wasn’t one. Surprisingly, for a film that’s barely over seventy minutes in length, Not Like Others feels overlong and padded. Aside from the occasional flashback, the main story consists of Vera and Vanja running around the empty streets of Stockholm, and hiding out in underground tube stations with the occasional shot of a man on a motorcycle to remind you that they’re still being chased. There is a distinct lack of tension or even urgency, considering that the two girls will most likely be killed if they get caught which, for a film with a set up and all the pretensions of being a thriller, is rather damaging indeed.
Performances are adequate but nothing special. Lampa is perhaps the most at ease with the minimal material, partly because she is given the most to do, frequently leaving Vanja to lay low while she checks that it’s safe to move on. One such excursion sees her interacting with a taxi driver (David Denick), which makes for a truly bizarre centrepiece. The driver offers Vera a lift in his cab, which she accepts to avoid being caught by the biker in pursuit. When the driver realises that she has no money, he pulls over, makes a sexual advance on her, only to then change his mind. By way of apology, he decides to drive her to the destination of her choice, making friendly small talk along the way. When they arrive, he changes his mind and decides that sex would be nice, attempting to trap Vera in the car.
However, it is Vera and Vanja’s relationship that is the main focus here, but, apart from a couple of flashbacks, we never really find out that much about them. A shame, considering the potential depth of their sisterly bond made stronger through their shared circumstance. A scene that sees them screaming under a bridge as a train passes overhead offers a glimpse of happiness within their bleak and ostracised situation, but its too odd and fleeting a moment for it to truly strike a chord. And when the bikers start to close in on them, not only is it a predictable turn of events, but emotionally underwhelming as well.
Unfortunately, Not Like Others had great potential but ends up wanting. Its intriguing ideas and fresh take on the subgenre is severely undermined by a minimal and uneventful story that lacks the atmosphere, tension and empathy that was achieved in the similar and altogether superior Let The Right One In. A stronger plot and better developed characters could’ve turned this into a touching and unconventional essay on human loneliness, but instead we have is a textbook case of missed opportunity. On the bright side, purists can rest assured that it probably won’t get remade by Hollywood anytime soon. MP
Wanting to enjoy some of the Stockholm nightlife, Vera drags Vanja along to a nightclub. Whilst Vanja mopes at the bar, the leader of a local, tattoo-sporting biker-gang propositions Vera on the dance floor. After several unwanted advances, Vera concedes and lures the man into one of the club’s toilet cubicles where she decides to feed on his haemorrhaging blood. Vanja gets her fill before they both promptly leave the club.
Upon discovering that their leader has been murdered, the gang are in hot pursuit, as Vera and Vanja run for their lives…
Made in the same year, set in the same city, tackling similar subject matter, and exhibiting a similar cold and detached iconography as the critically acclaimed Let The Right One In, Not Like Others certainly has its work cut out in terms of distancing itself from unwanted comparisons. The similarities listed at the start of this paragraph are hard to ignore, plus the fact that both films use vampirism as a metaphor for social inadequacy and acceptance. Having said that, Not Like Others manages to do its own thing, making it an intriguing, yet flawed companion piece.
Flashbacks interspersed throughout the ongoing chase take into account often overlooked details about the day-to-day realities of vampires living in a modern world: Vera and Vanja gate crashing a house party to plunder the coat room for money, as their destitute living arrangement and their inability to withstand sunlight puts neither of them in a good position to function in a conventional manner; i.e. through employment. Another flashback suggests Vanja’s reluctance to murder people for food – as it’s pointed out earlier that they’re unable to process normal foodstuffs – opting to loot a hospital for blood packs. However, despite the potential of being a rare gem in a subgenre of mostly lacklustre offerings, Not Like Others is unfortunately not as successful as it could’ve been.
The film quite wisely and refreshingly plays down on its vampire conceit, eschewing much of the usual dogma for an altogether realistic approach. There is absolutely no talk of crosses, silver or garlic; there is no superhuman speed or strength attributed to either Vera or Vanja. They don’t even have fangs, a controversial and bold move that further leans the film towards being a text about prejudice and existing outside the norm as opposed to a work of pure fancy. Vera carries a small knife in which to puncture the throats of her victims before feeding on the spilled contents. On the upside, this obliterates all opportunity for annoying and cliché open-mouthed-hissing-to-camera moments that plague almost every other vampire flick out there.
However, this minimalism represents a double edged sword, resulting in a woefully underwritten script and a plot that’s stretched so thin you’d be forgiven if you thought that there wasn’t one. Surprisingly, for a film that’s barely over seventy minutes in length, Not Like Others feels overlong and padded. Aside from the occasional flashback, the main story consists of Vera and Vanja running around the empty streets of Stockholm, and hiding out in underground tube stations with the occasional shot of a man on a motorcycle to remind you that they’re still being chased. There is a distinct lack of tension or even urgency, considering that the two girls will most likely be killed if they get caught which, for a film with a set up and all the pretensions of being a thriller, is rather damaging indeed.
Performances are adequate but nothing special. Lampa is perhaps the most at ease with the minimal material, partly because she is given the most to do, frequently leaving Vanja to lay low while she checks that it’s safe to move on. One such excursion sees her interacting with a taxi driver (David Denick), which makes for a truly bizarre centrepiece. The driver offers Vera a lift in his cab, which she accepts to avoid being caught by the biker in pursuit. When the driver realises that she has no money, he pulls over, makes a sexual advance on her, only to then change his mind. By way of apology, he decides to drive her to the destination of her choice, making friendly small talk along the way. When they arrive, he changes his mind and decides that sex would be nice, attempting to trap Vera in the car.
However, it is Vera and Vanja’s relationship that is the main focus here, but, apart from a couple of flashbacks, we never really find out that much about them. A shame, considering the potential depth of their sisterly bond made stronger through their shared circumstance. A scene that sees them screaming under a bridge as a train passes overhead offers a glimpse of happiness within their bleak and ostracised situation, but its too odd and fleeting a moment for it to truly strike a chord. And when the bikers start to close in on them, not only is it a predictable turn of events, but emotionally underwhelming as well.
Unfortunately, Not Like Others had great potential but ends up wanting. Its intriguing ideas and fresh take on the subgenre is severely undermined by a minimal and uneventful story that lacks the atmosphere, tension and empathy that was achieved in the similar and altogether superior Let The Right One In. A stronger plot and better developed characters could’ve turned this into a touching and unconventional essay on human loneliness, but instead we have is a textbook case of missed opportunity. On the bright side, purists can rest assured that it probably won’t get remade by Hollywood anytime soon. MP
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