Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (French: Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) is a 2023 Canadian French-language comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Ariane Louis-Seize.[1] It stars Sara Montpetit as Sasha, a teenage vampire who befriends Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a boy with suicidal tendencies.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Official release poster
FrenchVampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant
Directed byAriane Louis-Seize
Written byChristine Doyon
Ariane Louis-Seize
Produced byJeanne-Marie Poulain
Line Sander Egede
StarringSara Montpetit
Félix-Antoine Bénard
Steve Laplante
CinematographyShawn Pavlin
Edited byStéphane Lafleur
Production
company
Art et Essai
Distributed byH264
Release date
  • September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) (Mostra)
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

Plot

Sasha is a teenage vampire who struggles with the morality of killing people for their blood; however, after her parents cut off her blood supply, she enters a pact with Paul, a suicidal and very depressed boy, on the condition that she must spend the night helping him finish the things he still wants to do before he dies.[2]

Cast

Production

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person was shot in fall 2022 in Montreal.[3]

Release

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023.[4] The film had its Canadian premiere in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival,[5] and received a gala screening at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival.[6] It also screened in the Noves Visions section at the 56th Sitges Film Festival.[7]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A teen coming-of-age story with an undead twist, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person proves consistently charming even as it hits a number of expected genre beats."[8]

Nikki Baughan of Screen Daily wrote that "Louis-Seize leans heavily into European arthouse influences for her French-language production. Sarah — who is, in fact 68 (although still a teenager in human years) — is presented as something of an ingenue, her long dark hair, blunt fringe and doe eyes giving her both a vulnerability and an intriguing edge. She listens to vinyl, she plays the keyboard, she is by nature (and necessity) a loner. Her connection with Paul is immediate and surprising, and the chemistry between the two is authentic."[9]

Awards
Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Venice International Film Festival September 9, 2023 Giornate degli Autori, Best Director Ariane Louis-Seize Won [10]
Calgary International Film Festival September 25, 2023 RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Won [11]
October 3, 2023 Audience Choice Award, Canadian Narrative Feature Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Won [12]
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival September 28, 2023 Best French-Language Feature Film Won [13]
Festival du nouveau cinéma October 15, 2023 National Competition, Grand Prize Won [14]
Directors Guild of Canada October 21, 2023 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award Ariane Louis-Seize Won [15]

References
  1. Éric Lavallée, "Bloodsuckers: Sara Montpetit Toplines Ariane Louis-Seize's 'Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant'". Ion Cinema, October 25, 2022.
  2. Guillaume Picard, "Le film «Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant» présenté à Venise". Le Journal de Montréal, July 27, 2023.
  3. Charles-Henri Ramond, "Ariane Louis-Seize en tournage". Films du Québec, November 17, 2022.
  4. "Vampire dramedy, tribute to late Jean-Marc Vallée set for Venice film sidebar". Toronto Star, July 27, 2023.
  5. John Hazelton, "TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema". Screen Daily, August 10, 2023.
  6. Heidi Ulrichsen, "Cinéfest 2023 features strong Canadian content". Sudbury.com, August 23, 2023.
  7. "The Festival's 56th Edition Kicks Off by Announcing its Complete Lineup". Sitges Film Festival. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  8. "Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  9. Nikki Baughan, "‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’: Venice Review". Screen Daily, September 3, 2023.
  10. Marta Balaga, "‘Radical and Courageous’ Dark Comedy ‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,’ ‘Through the Night’ Pick Up Venice Days Awards". Variety, September 8, 2023.
  11. Aryn Toombs, "Winners of 2023 CIFF competitions unveiled". LiveWire Calgary, September 25, 2023.
  12. "Summer Qamp, Drawing a Life audience favourites at CIFF". LiveWire Calgary, October 3, 2023.
  13. "Cinéfest reveals 2023 award winners". Sudbury.com, September 28, 2023.
  14. Charles-Henri Ramond, "(FNC 2023) Chloé Leriche et Ariane Louis-Seize récompensées". Films du Québec, October 16, 2023.
  15. Connie Thiessen, "‘Women Talking’ leads winners at 22nd annual DGC Awards". Broadcast Dialogue, October 22, 2023.
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