Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant

I watched this at the 2023 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival because everyone was raving about it and I can see why. The absurd idea of vampires living among ourselves is given a fresh angle in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. It centers around a young vampire who is unable to kill to meet her blood-food needs until she finally meets a human hoping to end his life. There's witty humour here, which is bound to make you laugh out loud and also make you think about life in general. Do not expect a groundbreaking plot here because it's a simple story with a weird tone that seems to fit in quite well. I loved how the plot uses its characters to make comedy and that is perhaps the best part. Go for it.

(Watched at the 2023 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

A delicious blend of horror, comedy, romance & coming-of-age drama that's as endearing as it is life-affirming, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is sharp in its humour & sweet in its bite, offers an amusing yet heartfelt look at suicide & depression, and is wonderfully steered by quiet performances & gentle chemistry between its likeable leads.

Co-written & directed by Ariane Louis-Seize in her feature film debut, the story follows a young vampire who's too sensitive to kill until she finds an unlikely solution in a young man with suicidal tendencies. It is a wickedly funny premise that's directed with confidence and establishes the vampiric society among humans with finesse. And the central dilemma only leads to hilarious situations.

The plot hinges on the two soft characters, each broken in their own ways, who discover a new side of themselves through their awkward conversations & strange predicament. And both the actors deliver on that front. Their performance has a gentle touch, melancholic quality & warm tenderness that compels us to invest in them, and they are brilliantly supported by the rest of the cast.

Overall, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person deftly utilises the vampire motif to present a familiar human world in a new light and addresses its delicate themes with a light-hearted flair. The darkly-lit camerawork, steady pace, splendid music & kind-hearted moments only enrich & elevate the experience, while the elegant direction & earnest execution makes it a fantastic debut feature.

This may not conquer new grounds with what it wants to say but it does what it set out to do immensely well. It's a dark comedy rom-com coming-of-age film with a lot of heart. The way it explores the themes of being different and being alone through multiple facets while being outwardly simplistic can be said to be derived from similar films but it still works great. There are a few things that could have maybe improved this but they weren't trying to be anything more really. What can I say, this is something tailor-made for someone like me. Loved both the actors in the main roles too. Looking forward to the director's future projects.

How do I even describe this movie? It feels weirdly cute, even though it's not actually a "cute" movie.

The story follows Sasha, a young vampire-well, technically, she's 68, but she still looks like a teenager. Unlike the rest of her family, she refuses to kill humans because she actually has compassion for them. Her father, trying to support her unusual lifestyle, provides her with blood packs that she sips through a straw.

Then comes Paul-a completely broken teenager. He's bullied at school, mistreated at work, and has basically given up on life. When Sasha and Paul cross paths, they realize they're both kind of awkward, lost souls who just get each other. And then Sasha drops a bombshell: she can't bring herself to kill. Paul, in a disturbingly sweet and self-sacrificing gesture, offers himself up. He figures-if she needs to do this to survive, and if he doesn't really want to be here anyway-why not help each other out?

It's such a bizarre yet oddly touching premise. I went into this expecting a full-on vampire horror movie, but what I got was more of a dark comedy with a surprising amount of heart. The cast is fantastic, the direction is sharp, and the whole thing is just an emotional, funny, and unexpectedly fun ride. Definitely worth the watch!

This film offers a fresh twist on the vampire genre, blending heartfelt moments with a unique premise. It does a great job at balancing humor with darker themes, making it more than just a quirky concept. The characters feel well-developed and help keep you engaged, even through some slower sections. While the pacing lags here and there, the overall experience is enjoyable and keeps you rooting for the protagonists. The unexpected warmth in the relationships gives the movie a charm that sets it apart from more traditional vampire stories. Definitely worth checking out if you're after something a bit different!