Just because Sasha belongs to a vampire clan whose members have been around for a century or two does not mean she has blood drinking in her blood. Let alone adhering to the basic tenet of vampiredom, Sasha even has trouble getting her fangs to show. A therapist identifies Sasha’s problem: when Sasha sees humans, she feels compassion, not hunger.
Although Sasha (Sara Montpetit) has somehow survived for decades, her situation is precarious. She is facing increasing pressure to follow family tradition. When Sasha meets Paul, a bullied teenager who wants to end his life, she is moved in ways she cannot explain. Should she feast on Paul (Felix Antoine-Bernard) and fulfil her destiny, or help him erase himself, as he plans too?
The poetically titled Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is full of surprises. The 2023 French-language production provides an unusual twist to the vampire movie.
Ariane Louis-Seize’s debut feature, which is available on MUBI, is that strange creature: a deadpan comedy that is also life-affirming. The drollery is balanced with sensitivity over adolescent despair, the inability to live up to adult expectations, and suicidal tendencies.
The young leads turn out sweet-natured performances, as do Sasha’s kin, who have walked off the sets of The Addams Family. The unhurried narrative finds grace notes in an unlikely scenario, treating its characters not as frightening monsters but creatures of destiny who must feed on humans if they are to survive.
Just as their need is legitimate, so is Sasha’s objection to becoming like them. Her solution is novel too – a delicately judged meeting of teenage romanticism and pragmatism over the cruelties of life.
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