Focus on realism in ‘Nosferatu’ takes away from its greatness
Robert Eggers is nothing if not thorough; he spares no detail in his films. While this is to be lauded for authenticity’s sake, it can also be slightly distracting. His latest, “Nosferatu,” is no exception.
When I first saw Eggers’ 2015 debut “The Witch,” I was awestruck by its faithfulness. Eggers made sure that every aspect of the sets, production design, costumes, lighting and dialogue perfectly matched what one would see and hear in 1630s New England.
As it is a horror movie, I truly wanted to be scared. However, I was never able to fully engage with the film. The hyper attention to realism kept taking me out of it. This happened again with 2022’s “The Northman.”
“Nosferatu,” a remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 legendary classic, proves that Eggers is at the top of his craft at every facet of filmmaking. Once again though, the realism too often drew me out of the film. During crucial scenes, I often found myself thinking things like “I wonder how long it took Willem Dafoe to perfect that accent?” or “How many lights did they use to create that impeccable combination of luminosity and darkness in that scene?”
With those albeit-minor complaints out of the way, I’ll move on to what worked: everything else.
Bill Skarsgård proves he can be scary as more than just Pennywise the Clown (“It”). As the decrepit bloodsucker Count Orlok, Skarsgård is all classic-vampire accent and long fingernails. Lily-Rose Depp is equal parts tragic and compelling as Ellen, Orlok’s would-be flame.
An eccentric employer sends Ellen’s well-meaning fiancé Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) to Transylvania to get Orlok to sign off on a new estate in the United States. Ellen has been haunted by Orlok since childhood and goes through fits at night that bewilder her friends and doctors. Thomas immediately senses something is off but cannot know everything revolves around his cursed fiancé.
The music can be overwhelmingly bombastic at times, yet it mostly sets an eerie mood. The cinematography is exquisite – using shadows, candles, natural light and nighttime to further create a sense of dread.
Eggers has so far only directed period pieces. And while they consistently improve on each other, I am mighty curious what a movie set in modern times might look like with him at the helm. B
Jeff Mellinger
Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord.