Shelia Vand plays the Girl, a hijab-clad female vampire who cruises the streets for meals while on a skateboard, in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.
Combing horror, film noir and westerns, Ana Lily Amirpour's debut feature, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, is a refreshing take on vampire lore.
In a fictional Iranian ghost town, a reclusive creature of the night cloaked in a chador, the Girl (Shelia Vand), exsanguinates men. But when she meets Arash (Arash Marandi), a James Dean like figure with a pet cat, her killer instincts soften.
Shot in black and white, the visuals are as striking as the original concept, and Vand illuminates the screen with a performance that seamlessly switches between stoicism and vulnerability.
Exploring gender roles and true love, A Girl's bite is felt long after the final scene.