My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To

This movie would've received better public reviews if they listed it as a dark family drama and not horror. Misleading rating has made this film recurve much lower rating than it should. It's slow, but intriguing and thought provoking. Oh and it's sad and dark. I enjoyed it but need to watch a comedy after because it's filled with sadness and left me feeling the same.

So, viewers seem to either despise or love this offering. I come down somewhere in the middle. The idea here is interesting: a "realistic" family of siblings that have a special circumstance within their midst; and dealing with that circumstance becomes a practical and emotional burden that is increasingly intolerable for everyone.

This is a low budget offering. To that end, the acting is (mostly) suitable for a film that is more about rumination than explanation or action. The camera work is also suitable for a film that takes place (mostly) inside.

However, I also agree that pacing is a major issue here. The pregnant pauses, the controlled meter and inflection of the dialogue, the lingering camera shots - at times each of these can seem excessive. My other complaint was that, for a realistic-style movie, there were some real television-style cliches here (for example, two of the potential victims escape only to be found again under circumstances that can only exist on celluloid).

I think the director may have been aiming for something like "A Girl Walks Home Alone" or "Martin" or maybe even Herzog's 1979 "Nosferatu the Vampyre." It never quite gets up to that level; but if you enjoy a more psychological or emotional approach to the vampire genre, this might work for you.

My fiancé and I watched this on a whim after watching the preview. We really feel that a lot of these negative reviews are coming from people who more appreciate the common horror tropes such as fast paced plots, over the top gore, and fast paced plot driven dialog.. Definitely a movie that doesn't spoon feed or shove plot down your throat. It makes you think and relies on the viewer putting themselves in the characters shoes, and in such is very subtle and artistic.

Major props to AAALLLLLLL of the actors/actresses. They did a great job while still being subtle and not over the top as with most major motion pictures these days. Owen Campbell was especially delightful in his ability to actually portray someone who is heart breakingly dependant on his family, displays a child like innocence... yet at the end... is simply a tragic character. Keep up the good work sir!! Shame on you all who rated this diamond in the rough low.

Also props to the director. Showing juuuust enough... but not so much as to be vulgar or obscene in any horror movie genre cliches. The cinematography/shots were very well done and the plot/writing was juuusssstttt right for the feel of the film and the subject matter.

Overall this was an excellent movie that was subtle and thoughtful, yet emotional and thought provoking.

Do yourself a favor... just watch it.

I love the title of this movie - it fits well with this ultra dark indie horror title about two siblings taking care of their vampire brother.

Somber and slow, the film takes it's time, never gearing up to a big climax, instead ending in a whimper.

Dark, sad storytelling. Not for the viewer looking for Jason, Freddy, Dracula or Frankenstein. No instant gratification, nor are you spoon fed all aspects of the story. A dark contemporary drama that explores what sacrifices may be made and how far family might go for a sick loved one. Truly horrific.