The Hunger

(1983) ***1/2

The Hunger takes place in New York, in a porcelain world, where everyone smokes and everyone is gorgeous. Except for Dan Hedaya. It follows, for some time anyway, Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) and John (Bewie, Bewie, Bewie, Bewie). They're both vampires, although it seems clear from how often John asks if it's really "forever," that he's new to the game. He's riding the crest of vampire potency. When one day, Alice, their young violin playing friend, shows up at their doorstep and says to John, "You look awful. What have you been doing?" it's probably the last thing he expects to hear.

He's feeling older, which is a surprise to him. And by the middle of the afternoon, he's gone from about thirty to about thirty-five. Vexed, he goes to visit a doctor he's heard of who specializes in age research. By the time he reaches the office, he's looking like this.


Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) gives him the brush off, sticking him in the waiting room for "15 minutes," which later becomes five hours. As he's sitting there, barely noticed by the receptionist, he ages decades, his eyes becoming baggy, his hair coming out in his hand. When he finally gets up from his seat to go confront the doctor, he's halfway to looking like this:


She's stunned and abashed and is unable to stop him when he storms out. At the end of the day he's well over one hundred. Miriam carries his fragile body to the attic and puts him in a box next to her fallen lovers from centuries past. I'm inclined to think these other ones lived out long lives before getting put on ice, because if all of these other ones lasted only a day, seriously, what a fucking brat this Miriam chick is.

Sarah comes by later looking for John. Miriam tells her he's out of town, but invites her in. Among Miriam's priceless art collection, Sarah listens to Miriam play the piano. Entranced by the music and getting drunker on sherry and the sound of Miriam's voice, Sarah --- well, seeing as how Boobathon is obviously in full effect, see for yourself.


In the middle of this delicate interlude, Miriam bites into Sarah's arm and drinks. Sarah's so caught up in bliss, she doesn't notice.

The next day, she begins to feel ill. Lucky for her, she owns a bunch of electron microscopes and a full research lab. She and her lab assistants discover that she's got two types of blood in her system now. When she goes to confront Miriam, we can already see the signs of withdrawal -- dark circles around her eyes, shaking hands and voice, pale complexion, sweat.

There's more that happens after that, but I'm not telling, except to say that the logic around what happens between Miriam and Sarah is pretty dicey. Not that that should dissuade you from seeing it -- the action in the Hunger is subordinate to the atmosphere. The film has the cold, somber feeling of a Chopin Nocturne and moves at about the same pace. Director Tony Scott seems to love what draping silk does in a soft wind as much as he loves the way smoke looks as it curls out of lips and out of nostrils, which is a lot.

If you were alive in the eighties and are a Bowie fan, you've probably already seen this. If you weren't either of those things but are into cinematic tone-poems, you'd probably like this. If you don't belong in any of these categories and you're not convinced to see the Hunger by this:


I really don't know what to say to convince you.