MY HEART CAN’T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO
Directed by: Jonathan Cuartas
Starring: Patrick Fugit, Ingrid Sophie Schram, Owen Campbell
Teenager Thomas is suffering from an illness which makes him crave human blood and suffer great pain in sunlight. His older siblings, Dwight and Jesse, do their best to cater and take care of him, but how much longer can they keep it up?
Working from his own script, director Jonathan Cuartas presents vampirism stripped of all of its usual trappings and instead allows other monsters to reveal themselves.
When we first meet Dwight, he's picked up a vagrant and promised him somewhere to stay, at a homeless shelter. Thee stark brutality of what occurs is shocking and very well shot and edited. Jesse and Dwight prey on those on the periphery of society - ironic as it is the same an edge they themselves are skirting on.
The horror that dwells in this film isn't from Thomas's condition, it’s the way that Dwight and Jesse have decided to help him - by murdering people and feeding Thomas their drained blood. Thomas isn’t even aware where the blood comes from, he assumes it’s either Dwight or Jesse’s. Thomas is the antithesis of both the traditional and Hollywood vampire, however his condition has turned his siblings into dispassionate monsters. There is a conversation between Jesse and Dwight in which Jesse nominates their next victim, a prostitute who's been hanging around the local diner where Jesse works. Their victims aren't people in their eyes, just a means to keep their younger brother alive a little longer.
Its not made clear how long Thomas has been a "vampire" - the term is not used in the film. Yes, Thomas craves human blood and abhors sunlight, but he doesn't have fangs, can be seen in mirrors etc etc. And although human blood sustains him, he is still left weak from lack of true nourishment and nutrition.
What is clear is that Jesse and Dwight are at odds how to continue. Dwight has started to develop a conscience and wants to leave, but knows deep down he cannot. Jesse is completely focused on helping Thomas. At the same time, Thomas is growing up and becoming frustrated by his condition and questioning the current status quo. He can hear kids playing outside and can't understand why he isn't allowed to join them or invite them over.
The film is very technically well made. It is shot in the Academy ratio of 1.37:1 which limits the screen width and thereby gives everything a more closed-in, contained atmosphere. The lighting inside the house has a dingy, low-watt quality to it and there is not a lot of scenes set during the day time. The somber score by Andrew Rease Shaw also underpins the desperate misery of the situation.
THE VERDICT
This is a misery-as-horror film. It provides a vampire without the usual trappings and instead produces what it considers t be a more realistic take on the genre. It's not the first film to try this Earlier this year we had ROSE: A LOVE STORY, which trod a similar path with similar results. If you can manage your expectations and can put aside the need for the usual vampire trappings, there is a lot to admire here - the cast is very good, the film has a dark oppressive atmosphere and one or two moments of violence. However there is little to enjoy, or be entertained by, while witnessing the self-destruction of this small family.