The film received generally positive reviews who praised its direction, fresh approach to the vampire narrative and the lead performances of Arterton and Ronan.
In 2010, an old man, Robert Fowlds, picks up a discarded note dropped by teenage vampire Eleanor Webb, who has taken to writing her life story and then throwing the individual pages to the wind.
There, Clara sets her sights on a lonely soul named Noel, who has just inherited the Byzantium Hotel, a once-thriving business that has fallen into disrepair.
Having seduced Noel, Clara turns the Byzantium into a makeshift brothel and Eleanor joins the local college which Frank also attends.
The story, revealed in a series of flashbacks over the course of the film, begins during the Napoleonic Wars, when a young Clara encounters two Royal Navy officers, Captain Ruthven and Midshipman Darvell.
As their members have traditionally been male nobles, they are appalled that a low-born prostitute has joined their ranks but decide to spare her life, warning her that she must abide by their code but that she may play no part in their Brotherhood.
Shortly afterwards, Clara's decision to spare Ruthven comes back to haunt her, when the vengeful, syphilis-ridden Captain turns up at Eleanor's orphanage and drags her down to the basement to rape her.
Desperate to save her daughter's life, Clara takes Eleanor to the island and has her transformed into a vampire, violating the Brethren's code.
The site's consensus reads: "Director Neil Jordan remains as expert as ever when it comes to setting a chilling mood, but Byzantium struggles to match its creepily alluring atmosphere with a suitably compelling story.
[7] Critic Steven Boone, writing for Roger Ebert, wrote that, "the way screenwriter Moira Buffini [...] weaves threads of history, folklore, feminist spirit and universal themes is striking," praising also the camera work but finding fault with the amount of violence.
As a female vampire, it is evident that “despite her outward physical alignment with the natural, she is rendered monstrous.”[12] There are many scenes in the film in which Clara, a conventionally attractive woman, can lure her victims into a false sense of comfort before killing them.
[14] The ruling vampire group, the Brotherhood, emphasizes Clara’s threat to their existence as they call her a witch while attempting to kill her.
The mirror nature of the monster forces individuals to confront their true selves,[17] thus suggesting that eternal life is realized through the reconciliation of human imperfections and weaknesses.
[13] Throughout history, men in positions of authority have utilized their power to exploit and harm women thus reinforcing patriarchal values and systems.
To further his malevolent nature, the name Ruthven pays homage to early vampire literature in which this character is “a mysterious, manipulative, and immoral seducer and killer.”[19] Following his rape of a young Clara, Ruthven states “welcome to your adult life, whore.”[10] This male aggression of the feminine body is terrifying as viewers understand that “[Clara] was introduced to her sexuality through sexual violence.”[10] The monstrous brutality[20] of his actions “shift[s] the qualities and associations of the monstrous away from the female vampire and on to Ruthven.”[21] For female viewers, many of the acts of violence committed by Clara are representative of her revenge on men who abuse their power and authority to abuse women.
[23] Beyond the subversion of gender expectations, Clara and Eleanor challenge traditional vampire norms as they are physically visible.
[14] While this invisibility allows Clara to hide from the Brotherhood, it has proved fatal for marginalized populations as they face lower access to social services.
Regardless of its flaws, Byzantium’s exploration of feminine power and motherhood makes it a compelling portrayal of vampires in contemporary cinema.