The Addiction
Encyclopedia
The Addiction is an unconventional 1995 vampire
film
by Abel Ferrara
, starring Lili Taylor
, Edie Falco
, Paul Calderón
and Christopher Walken
. It was written by Ferrara's regular screenwriter, Nicholas St John, filmed in black and white and released simultaneously with Ferrara's period gangster film, The Funeral
.
The film is widely considered an allegory about drug addiction.
student at New York University
, is attacked by a woman (Annabella Sciorra
), who tells her "order me to go away" and, when the frightened Kathleen is unable to do so, bites her neck and drinks her blood. Kathleen develops several of the traditional symptoms of vampirism, including aversion to daylight, but the film's main focus is on her moral degradation. It is hinted that vampires become immortal in this film, the price being an addiction to blood. Vampires are shown repeatedly resorting to the strategy of blaming their victims for not being strong enough to resist them. As one of Kathleen's victims weeps incredulously over the damage, Kathleen coldly informs her: "My indifference is not the concern here - it's your astonishment that needs studying." Eventually Kathleen meets Peina (Walken), who claims to have almost conquered his addiction, and as a result is almost human. For a time he keeps her in his home trying to help her overcome hers, recommending that she read William S. Burroughs
' Naked Lunch
. At her graduation party, she says "I'd like to share a little bit of what I've learned" she and her victims (now vampires themselves) attack the party goers, precipitating in a bloody, chaotic vampire orgy
.
In an ambiguous finale, Kathleen is again confronted with the woman who first bit her, who stops her suicide attempt and quotes R. C. Sproul
to her. But Conklin resists, receives absolution
from a Catholic
priest
, and is shown walking away from a grave with her own name on it, in broad daylight. Coincidentally, her birthdate on the tombstone is Hallowe'en, 1967. The date of her death is November 1, 1994. The Biblical quote inscribed is John 11:25.
, 1995. Lili Taylor
won Best Foreign Actress Sant Jordi Award. Film also received Best Actress (Taylor), Best Film (Abel Ferrara
) and Special Mention Award for outstanding acting performance of Academy Award-winner actor Christopher Walken
in Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. The film was also nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards
and won Critics Award in Mystfest and was also nominated for Best Film. The film has received high praise from the critic Peter Bradshaw
, who named it as one of his top ten favourite films in a 2002 Sight and Sound poll.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara is an American film screenwriter and director. He is best known as an independent filmmaker of such films as The Driller Killer , Ms. 45 , King of New York , Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral .-Early life:Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent...
, starring Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
, Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
, Paul Calderón
Paul Calderon
Paul Calderón is an American actor.He was born in Puerto Rico. Calderón moved to New York with his family at the age of six, where he grew up on the streets of the Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem...
and Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
. It was written by Ferrara's regular screenwriter, Nicholas St John, filmed in black and white and released simultaneously with Ferrara's period gangster film, The Funeral
The Funeral (1996 film)
The Funeral is a 1996 American crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent Gallo, Benicio del Toro and Gretchen Mol....
.
The film is widely considered an allegory about drug addiction.
Plot
Kathleen Conklin (Taylor), a young philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
student at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, is attacked by a woman (Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever...
), who tells her "order me to go away" and, when the frightened Kathleen is unable to do so, bites her neck and drinks her blood. Kathleen develops several of the traditional symptoms of vampirism, including aversion to daylight, but the film's main focus is on her moral degradation. It is hinted that vampires become immortal in this film, the price being an addiction to blood. Vampires are shown repeatedly resorting to the strategy of blaming their victims for not being strong enough to resist them. As one of Kathleen's victims weeps incredulously over the damage, Kathleen coldly informs her: "My indifference is not the concern here - it's your astonishment that needs studying." Eventually Kathleen meets Peina (Walken), who claims to have almost conquered his addiction, and as a result is almost human. For a time he keeps her in his home trying to help her overcome hers, recommending that she read William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
' Naked Lunch
Naked Lunch
Naked Lunch is a novel by William S. Burroughs originally published in 1959. The book is structured as a series of loosely-connected vignettes. Burroughs stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order...
. At her graduation party, she says "I'd like to share a little bit of what I've learned" she and her victims (now vampires themselves) attack the party goers, precipitating in a bloody, chaotic vampire orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
.
In an ambiguous finale, Kathleen is again confronted with the woman who first bit her, who stops her suicide attempt and quotes R. C. Sproul
R. C. Sproul
Robert Charles Sproul, is a prominent American Calvinist theologian, author, and pastor of the Reformed tradition...
to her. But Conklin resists, receives absolution
Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....
from a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, and is shown walking away from a grave with her own name on it, in broad daylight. Coincidentally, her birthdate on the tombstone is Hallowe'en, 1967. The date of her death is November 1, 1994. The Biblical quote inscribed is John 11:25.
Awards
Film was nominated 'Best Film' award in Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, 1995. Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
won Best Foreign Actress Sant Jordi Award. Film also received Best Actress (Taylor), Best Film (Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara is an American film screenwriter and director. He is best known as an independent filmmaker of such films as The Driller Killer , Ms. 45 , King of New York , Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral .-Early life:Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent...
) and Special Mention Award for outstanding acting performance of Academy Award-winner actor Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
in Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. The film was also nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
and won Critics Award in Mystfest and was also nominated for Best Film. The film has received high praise from the critic Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
, who named it as one of his top ten favourite films in a 2002 Sight and Sound poll.