Bad City is a strange place where lost souls live. Arash watches drugs destroy his aging father, Atti sells herself to men in the neighborhood, and Saeed, a godless and lawless dealer, reigns over the community. But a mysterious and lonely woman also walks the streets, and behind her burka and her piercing eyes hides a bloodthirsty creature: a vampire.

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The buzz surrounding Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut is somewhat justified: presented as the first Iranian spaghetti western with vampires, even if it was shot in California, this atypical odyssey in black and white is intriguing. With an elusive ambiance, industrial setting, slick production, characters out of Hollywood’s Golden Age and a hip soundtrack, from the get-go A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night styles itself as an underground phenomenon calibrated for festivals. The result oscillates between captivating charm and artificial nonchalance without ever becoming completely convincing. This is mainly because the weak and simplistic script is given less weight than the movie’s style. Although not as memorable as its reputation, it is still nicely strange and interesting.