‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ Review: Growing Up Bites in Ariane Louis-Seize's Satisfying Genre Mash-Up
Courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
Vampire folklore and coming-of-age stories have been revisited time and time again throughout the history of cinema. Although conventionally quite dissimilar, both inspire concepts of powerful character transformation that open countless ideas to explore visually and narratively. For her feature debut, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Quebecois filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize interweaves her own creative concepts regarding the vampire and coming-of-age genres to assemble a fresh and thoughtful movie full of promise for the director's future projects behind the camera.
Sara Monpetit stars in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as Sasha, who looks and behaves like a teenager but is, in fact, a 68-year-old vampire. Despite her age, Sasha still lives with her parents, who keep her relatively sheltered and supplied with a fridge well stocked with blood to feast upon. Setting her apart from her vampiric family, Sasha possesses an emotional aversion to killing humans and drinking their blood: "The girl's compassion is triggered by images of humans dying." One evening, burdened with mounting pressure from her family, Sasha sets out to dabble in hunting and comes across a handsome but awkward teenage boy called Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard ), who happens to be intensely suicidal. As the two desperately lonely figures grow closer, Sasha and Paul develop an unlikely bond that is strengthened by their shared desires to find their places in a world that has turned against them.
Courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
The look and feel of Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person works as an homage to the arthouse traditions of vampire flicks before its time, capturing the effortless ennui found in Only Lovers Left Alive and the offbeat humor of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Yet, through its tender portrayal of the despairs of growing up, Louis-Seize's debut stands alone as a distinctive coming-of-age piece with all of the folklore and grisly bits of violence audiences have come to associate with vampire movies. Despite its characters' fixations with death's many shapes, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person retains a particular compassion that strengthens the film’s individuality.
The characters constructed by Louis-Seize's screenplay–– co-written with Christine Doyon–– again encapsulate many images of on-screen vampire mythology but with fresh flavors that work skillfully to elevate Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person's trim cast and unpretentious shooting locations. Through her radical empathy for mortal humans, Sasha operates as the blunt-banged rebel and outcast of her vampire family. Monpetit excellently embodies this idea through her performance, balancing the mumbling misanthropy of teenage life with a tremendous internal struggle that has come to define her transition into adulthood and its many expectations. While Sasha's preoccupation with life hinders her growth, Paul is almost the mirror image: a living soul obsessed with death and its potential escape from the letdowns of humanity. Bénard's performance captures the evolution of his character's confidence, transforming from a wide-eyed, nervous lad to someone who knows what he wants and how he can use his energy to aid others.
While Sasha and Paul serve as the soul of the film, Sasha's vampire clan and their brief appearances peppered throughout provide much-welcomed comedy into the narrative. Actors Sophie Cadieux and Steve Laplante perform as Sasha's mother and father, constantly butting heads concerning their over-protective parental approaches. Noémie O'Farrell plays Cousin Denise, a sultry maneater who tries time and time again to teach Sasha her successful human hunting talents.
Courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
Sasha's journey, as depicted by Louis-Seize, communicates intriguingly with her status as a girl on the doorstep of womanhood. Sasha's father is the one most protective of her, while her mother and aunt are those who pressure her to satisfy duties to provide for the family and meet their expectations of what a vampire woman should be. This tension between Sasha and her female-dominated family is only alleviated through exchanges with her father and with Paul, who do not project any disappointment upon her. Although Sasha and her family live within this nocturnal world of the undead, where many of humanity's social norms are not in play, the director does draw a fascinating light on her protagonist's blossoming womanhood and the one-sided burdens brought with it.
One of the most fascinating elements of any vampire film is the mood and atmosphere the director employs to envision their unique perspective, and Louis-Seize's sensibilities indeed work as a strong suit in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. Shot in Montreal by cinematographer Shawn Pavlin, the film's exterior shots focus on dark shadows and unsettling silence that helps to heighten its genre elements. These images are highly contrasted with the interior shooting locations, which boast the eclectic, layered lives built by Sasha's centuries-old family. The movie's tight relationship to its soundtrack, a dynamically somber orchestral score created by Pilou, holds significance throughout and concretizes Sasha's deep passion for music.
Overall, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person works successfully on many levels as a film that swiftly oscillates between its coming-of-age narrative and vampiric elements. This balancing act contributes tremendously to the movie's originality and merit as a fresh spin on genres that have been constantly reworked for the big screen. Within the landscape of contemporary Quebecois cinema–– which is becoming increasingly more creative and intriguing each year–– Louis-Seize is able to flex her multifaceted talent with this feature debut, showing off her talented sensibilities and promise for future works.
4/5
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the GdA Director's Award in one of the festival's sidebar sections. Drafthouse Films will release the movie in the United States beginning on Friday, June 21, in New York City and Los Angeles. Click here for more information about Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and watch the trailer below: