"The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" has some of the most controversial content of any film I have seen in some time. The film follows the trials and tribulations of Jeremiah, a young boy who is taken out of a loving foster home to live with his transient, sometime prostitute mother, Sarah (played by writer/director Asia Argento). Along the way, physical and sexual abuse occurs at the hands of Sarah's many lovers/husbands, Sarah herself, and Sarah's religious family, who take the boy in after child services finds him. The fact that the book on which the film was based was revealed to be fiction, not "based on a true story," as many readers had believed, further contributes to the controversy--the film, it should be noted, makes no such claim.
But regardless of whether or not you believe that the film is exploitive, dishonest, or based on false theories or premises, you have to respect director Asia Argento's aesthetic achievements. I was very impressed by how Argento used camera movement and framing to convey the traumatic experiences of title character, Jeremiah. The acting, for the most part, was also well done, though I felt some of the cameos (particularly Marilyn Manson's) were underwhelming. I was also less than impressed with Argento's script--the second half of the film fell flat for me, particularly some of the dialog.
I hope we see better work from Argento in the near future--she is an excellent actress with unparalleled charisma and presence on the screen, and she has the technical chops to become a very influential director. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, even though I didn't totally buy into "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things."
But regardless of whether or not you believe that the film is exploitive, dishonest, or based on false theories or premises, you have to respect director Asia Argento's aesthetic achievements. I was very impressed by how Argento used camera movement and framing to convey the traumatic experiences of title character, Jeremiah. The acting, for the most part, was also well done, though I felt some of the cameos (particularly Marilyn Manson's) were underwhelming. I was also less than impressed with Argento's script--the second half of the film fell flat for me, particularly some of the dialog.
I hope we see better work from Argento in the near future--she is an excellent actress with unparalleled charisma and presence on the screen, and she has the technical chops to become a very influential director. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, even though I didn't totally buy into "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things."