A scene from ‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’

Review: ‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ finds humour in despair

‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ is a dark comedy about a young vampire who only has fangs for a desperate teenage boy.

The world of vampires evolved from dark and grimy to glamorous and desirable. In fact, most contemporary tales speculate they live among us, undetected and ageless. Of course, their power and beauty comes at a price as they lust primarily for human blood. Some stories have managed to minimize this necessity by supplementing with animals, or relying on criminals or blood banks. But the need for plasma is always present, whether the fiend enjoys it or not. In Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, a young vampire has an aversion to murder that baffles her family and requires certain concessions.

Sasha’s (Sara Montpetit) birthday was meant to be a rite of passage — her first time feeding from a live human victim. But rather than match her family’s bloodlust, she cringes at the thought and feels sorry for the soon-to-be-deceased. Several psychological and medical tests reveal that she may never be able to don her fangs in the service of killing. Her mother is appalled, while her father defends his daughter’s unusual condition. Decades later, Sasha is still being sustained by blood bags procured by her reluctant loved ones who simply cannot let her starve to death. However, Sasha’s chance encounter with Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) brings about new possibilities for the future — as well as her fangs.

The vampire tortured by their nature is a revisited concept, though this adds a layer of complexity as Sasha’s impacted canines mean she’s physically incapable of biting and feeding on her prey. Naturally, that obstacle hasn’t quelled her hunger, which still demands a red liquid diet since eating anything else could be fatal. The film does an excellent job balancing the narrative’s seriousness with its comedy as Sasha’s unique diagnosis lends itself to humorous interactions with Paul and her family — the former begs her to fulfill his desire for death and the latter pressures her to accept her vampiric nature. Of course, as the title suggests, a suicidal person solves everyone’s problems.

The whole situation with Paul is quite amusing as he’s felt like ending his life for as long as he can remember, but is reluctant to follow through in fear of hurting his loving mother. Yet, he’s been bullied for so long, any new incident is met with quiet acceptance, adding to his list of reasons to no longer exist. But meeting Sasha finally gives Paul options as the end of his life could serve a purpose by extending hers, while she agrees to realize his dying wish and help him exact revenge on his tormentors. What follows is a series of amusing pranks and anticipated flubs as the two draw nearer the inevitable conclusion, which is topped with a logical but still disquieting cherry.

Director: Ariane Louis-Seize
Starring: Sara Montpetit, Félix-Antoine Bénard and Steve Laplante

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Sunset Song’ waxes poetic about female hardships on the farm (Includes first-hand account)

    There are countless stories that depict rural life in the first half of the 20th century, often in America, illustrating the hardships of living off the land before farming was mechanized. They tend to be very similar and exclude specific difficulties faced by women as they are generally told from the perspective of the family unit or the “head of the household.” Conversely, Sunset Song is conveyed by a young woman who transitions from daughter and sister to wife and mother.

  • Review: ‘The Finest Hours’ is a tale of bravery in many circumstances (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s fair to say even the dangerous jobs were more hazardous 50 years ago. New safety measures and equipment improvements have decreased the mortality rates of most risky positions. But in some cases there are just certain threats and vulnerabilities that can’t be extinguished with Mother Nature topping the list of unmanageables. Whether those employed in these industries do it for the money, sense of duty or lack of other opportunities, the risk is the same. In The Finest Hours, a U.S. Coast Guard team heads out into a horrendous storm to rescue the crew of a sinking oil tanker.

  • Review: ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ overshoots the target (Includes first-hand account)

    Drug trafficking in the United States has been a hot button issue for decades, particularly when discussing the Mexico-U.S. border. However, in the last year, the border has become an even greater topic of contention as illegal migrants rose to the top of the list of “threats” to combat. While the real-life motives for this mimic a South Park rant, there could be legitimate reasons for the perimeter to become an increased concern — one of which is explored in Sicario: Day of the Soldado, the sequel to the gritty cop movie.

  • Review: This week’s releases defy traditions

    This week’s releases include a vibrant documentary; a thriller no one deserved; a supernatural romance; a wide-ranging movie collection; and a classic friendship continues.

  • Review: ‘The Revenant’ earns accolades by expertly traumatizing audiences (Includes first-hand account)

    Man vs. nature and man vs. man are two of the oldest tales to be told by the campfire as nothing seems to be more pleasing than people’s ability to dominate something or someone else. The root of evil – and most quests – is said to lie in money, sex and power, though the latter is often the most motivating since it can initiate the other two. Vengeance, however, can make one blind to anything else but its fulfillment. Someone truly bent on revenge will stop at nothing to get it, which both gives them strength and makes them weak. In The Revenant, a man returns from near-death to get retribution from his betrayer.

  • ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’: the height of Caesar’s journey (Includes first-hand account)

    One of the great things about big conventions is studios reward people’s fandom with free swag and sneak peeks of their latest projects. Every day there is a panel with directors and cast of a certain TV show or movie in which they answer questions, drop hints about what’s to come and, most coveted, share exclusive clips that may never be seen again outside of that room. At New York Comic Con, lucky fans were provided a first look of next year’s War for the Planet of the Apes.