The Wisdom of Crocodiles

On the surface, Steven Grlscz (Jude Law) appears to be a charismatic and successful doctor. Yet he harbors a dark secret: in order to survive, he needs certain substances found in human blood—substances that are only produced in a state of true love, much like a vampire. To obtain them, he seduces women into falling in love with him and then kills them to drink their blood. But when he meets the confident yet vulnerable engineer Anne Labels (Elina Löwensohn), Steven truly falls in love for the first time. This genuine love throws him into an inner conflict, while the police—especially Inspector Healey (Timothy Spall)—begin to close in on him. Must he kill Anne to survive? Or spare her and die himself? Jude Law takes on the lead role as the charismatic bloodsucker Steven Grlscz, who is torn between his survival instinct and true love. With its atmospherically dense, cool direction and melancholic soundtrack, Hong Kong director Po-Chih Leong has created a near-modern vampire classic that foregrounds the emotional and moral dimensions of vampirism. A stylish genre mix with depth. "The settings are eerily smooth and labyrinthine in their opacity; exits are never within reach. Jude Law, the beautiful, paralyzed, perfect man from 'Gattaca', and Elina Löwensohn, known especially from Hal Hartley's films, circle each other—drawn together and fearful at the same time—mostly from a distance and only occasionally up close. A choreography on the edge of the abyss, a fascinating film." (Oliver Rahayel, on: filmdienst.de)