The music score, by Daniele Luppi, is particularly fine while the cinematography, by Pawel Pogorzelski, is constantly impressive as the backstreets of New Orleans are transformed into a kind of garish hell on earth.

It’s a film with attitude, rather than passion, a series of lifeless tableaux in front of a conventional sin-city backdrop. If Amirpour wanted to send a message, it got lost in her ennui.

A thriller of striking colors and compelling characters.

Amirpour’s penchant for drifting, meandering stories is enticing here, aided by her use of supernatural elements and characters with strong personalities. And its Day-Glo aesthetic may be gaudy, but it is also vivid, hypnotic and unlike anything else.