Vampires, Nurses and The Slaves, oh my!

It’s happened to all of us: We get a new pair of earrings and our sexual attractiveness goes way up. Of course, it’s not all of us that don the new jewelry and draw the attention of vampires.

Valerie and her Week of Wonders follows a young girl as she discovers her sexuality, and the film uses a rich blend of symbolism and surreal imagery to spin its tale. Based on the written work of Vít���_zslav Nezval, Czech director Jaromil Jireš adapted the story for the silver screen in 1970, casting the then-13-year-old Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie.

Schallerová’s age drew much controversy, given the film’s flirtations with incest, bisexuality and general bacchanalia. Valerie is stalked by the Weasel, a shape-shifting vampire complete with thinly veiled hints of being Valerie’s father, who makes attempts to ravage the child throughout the film. Only Eagle, a character suggested to be Valerie’s brother, wards off the Weasel’s crusade to pervert young Valerie.

There are scenes of dark, macabre grittiness to match anything seen on modern-day shows that test our thresholds of obscenity, such as Dexter or The Shield.  The film ultimately saves face because of Valerie’s persistent innocence amid the sexuality and horror show. Gothic themes, seductive clergymen and even threats of rape and execution do not siphon the wonder from Valerie’s childish eyes, and Jireš does a solid job of pacing this coming-of-age story—it’s never so fast that viewers miss the precocious Valerie’s development, nor so sluggish that her maturity and sexual awakening are as awkward and drawn out as your own was.

The film has another pull to it, insomuch as the music included in, and inspired by, Valerie is on par with many great films from the early 1970s. Case in point, Holocene is screening the film tonight with an accompaniment of various Portland bands that will offer their interpretations of the soundtrack.

Nurses, a group noted for their spacious electronics and vocals that are overt, yet easy on the ear, will delight attendees with their almost-spooky tones that will complement the atmosphere of the film nicely. Gulls, the brainchild of beat-building genius Jesse Johnson, will bring some steady groove and enhance the surreal moments on the soundtrack. Self-described gothic-surf artists The Slaves round out the show, and they’re the X-factor in the lineup: There’s really no predicting how exciting or frightening their sound will be.

That, of course, is the ethos behind Valerie: It can be scary, enthralling, political, sexual or even instructional. Guys with limited awareness of the trials that girls brave as they mature will have their eyes opened by the film, and the opportunity to enjoy a great film coupled with a superb night of music is not to be missed.