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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Theatrical release poster
FrenchVampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant
Directed byAriane Louis-Seize
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyShawn Pavlin
Edited byStéphane Lafleur
Music byPierre-Philippe Côté
Production
company
Art et Essai
Distributed byH264
Release dates
  • September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice)
  • October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) (Canada)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench
Box office$100,725[2]

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (French: Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant), also released as Humanist Vampire Too Sensitive to Kill, is a 2023 French-language Canadian vampire comedy horror film co-written and directed by Ariane Louis-Seize.[3] It stars Sara Montpetit as Sasha, a teenage vampire who befriends Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a boy with suicidal tendencies.

Plot

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In her childhood, Sasha, a vampire, is traumatized after her family attacks and eats a clown they had hired to perform at her birthday. As a result, Sasha's fangs do not sprout and she is uncomfortable with the idea of killing people for food. Years later, she still refuses to kill and still does not have fangs.

One night, Sasha notices a teenager, Paul, attempting to jump from atop a building, but he eventually does not. Later, Sasha's fangs suddenly emerge when she encounters him again. In a panic, she runs back home where her parents have decided that she will live with her older cousin, Denise, to learn how to hunt people.

Sasha is reluctant to learn and attracts attention as Denise feeds on JP, a man they had lured earlier, before running off. She reunites with Paul at a support group meeting for people experiencing suicidal thoughts. After the meeting, the two agree to help each other with Sasha assisting in his suicide and feeding on him. However, Sasha's fangs disappear, and she tries to stall by asking him if he has a dying wish. Paul says he would like to get payback on Henry, his co-worker who constantly bullies him.

When they find out that Henry has gone to a party, Paul becomes hesitant about getting payback in front of everyone. Sasha suggests he could practice to boost his confidence. Paul then decides to get payback on a popular girl at school, his gym teacher, and his principal.

At the party, Henry taunts Paul, and Paul bites his hand. As they run away, Sasha collapses from hunger. Paul then cuts his hand to feed her his blood. Henry and his friends find them and start beating Paul up. Sasha's fangs suddenly emerge, and she kills Henry and urges Paul to go home.

Denise demands Paul must also be killed while she helps Sasha bury Henry's body, but Sasha knocks Denise out. Sasha runs to Paul and they decide to run away, but at a hotel room, Paul doubts their success. He urges Sasha to turn him into a vampire. After being persuaded, she bites him, but he struggles to breathe. Sasha calls her family, who are able to turn him into a vampire by feeding him blood.

Some time later, Sasha and Paul arrive at a hospice his mother is working at, where they are directed to a terminally ill patient's room. Sasha plays the keyboard for the patient as Paul drains the patient's blood into a bag.

Cast

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Production

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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person was shot in fall 2022 in Montreal.[4]

Release

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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023.[5] The film had its Canadian premiere in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival,[6] and received a gala screening at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival.[7] It also screened in the Noves Visions section at the 56th Sitges Film Festival.[8] The film was released in Canada on October 13, 2023, by H264.[9] Drafthouse Films acquired distribution rights for the United States, with the film being released in Los Angeles and New York City on June 21, 2024, before expanding to more cities the following week.[10]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "While not as innovative as its title, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person offers a dark-ish comedic take on a teen love story between misfits that renders a strangely sweet bite."[11]

Nikki Baughan of Screen Daily wrote that "Louis-Seize leans heavily into European arthouse influences for her French-language production. Sasha—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."[12]

The film was included in TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.[13]

Accolades

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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 [14]
Calgary International Film Festival September 25, 2023 RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Won [15]
October 3, 2023 Audience Choice Award, Canadian Narrative Feature Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Won [16]
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival September 28, 2023 Best French-Language Feature Film Won [17]
Festival du nouveau cinéma October 15, 2023 National Competition, Grand Prize Won [18]
Directors Guild of Canada October 21, 2023 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award Ariane Louis-Seize Won [19]
Windsor International Film Festival October 29, 2023 Best Canadian Film Won [20]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 12, 2024 Best Canadian Film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Nominated [21]
Best Female Actor in a Canadian Film Sara Montpetit Won
One to Watch Ariane Louis-Seize Won
Toronto Film Critics Association March 4, 2024 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award Ariane Louis-Seize Nominated [22]
Prix collégial du cinéma québécois April 5, 2024 Best Film Nominated [23]
Canadian Screen Awards 2024 Best Picture Jeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede Nominated [24][25]
Best Director Ariane Louis-Seize Nominated
Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film Félix-Antoine Bénard Nominated
Sara Montpetit Nominated
Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film Steve Laplante Nominated
Noémie O'Farrell Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon Won
Best Art Direction/Production Design Ludovic Dufresne Nominated
Best Costume Design Kelly-Anne Bonieux Nominated
Best Editing Stéphane Lafleur Nominated
Best Casting in a Film Tania Arana Nominated
John Dunning Best First Feature Ariane Louis-Seize Nominated
Prix Iris December 8, 2024 Best Film Jeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede Pending [26]
Best Director Ariane Louis-Seize Pending
Best Actor Félix-Antoine Bénard Pending
Best Actress Sara Montpetit Pending
Best Supporting Actor Steve Laplante Pending
Best Supporting Actress Marie Brassard Pending
Sophie Cadieux Pending
Noémie O'Farrell Pending
Revelation of the Year Félix-Antoine Bénard Pending
Best Screenplay Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon Pending
Best Art Direction Ludovic Dufresne Pending
Best Costume Design Kelly-Anne Bonieux Pending
Best Cinematography Shawn Pavlin Pending
Best Editing Stéphane Lafleur Pending
Best Original Music Pierre-Philippe Côté Pending
Best Sound Marie-Pierre Grenier, Simon Gervais, Luc Boudrias, Thierry Bourgault D'Amico Pending
Best Hairstyling Jean-Luc Lapierre Pending
Best Makeup Tania Guarnaccia Pending
Best Visual Effects Marie-Claude Lafontaine, Jean-François « Jafaz » Ferland, Simon Beaupré Pending
Best Casting Tania Arana Pending
Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Jeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede, Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon, Stéphanie Demers, Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne Pending
Best First Film Ariane Louis-Seize Pending

References

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  1. ^ "Vampire Humaniste Cherche Suicidaire Consentant (DVD, SVOD, On Demand, DCP)". Australian Classification Board. February 7, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Lavallée, Eric (October 25, 2022). "Bloodsuckers: Sara Montpetit Toplines Ariane Louis-Seize's "Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant"". IONCINEMA.com. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Ariane Louis-Seize en tournage". Films du Québec, November 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Vampire dramedy, tribute to late Jean-Marc Vallée set for Venice film sidebar". Toronto Star, July 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Hazelton, John. "TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Goh, Clement (August 23, 2023). "Cinéfest Sudbury marks 35 years with focus on comedy and vampires". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "The Festival's 56th Edition Kicks Off by Announcing its Complete Lineup". Sitges Film Festival. September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Faradji, Helen (October 10, 2023). "Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant : montrer les crocs pour mieux s'amuser" (in French). Ici Radio-Canada Télé. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Humanist Vampire — Drafthouse Films". Drafthouse Films. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Baughan, Nikki (September 3, 2023). "'Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Pat Mullen, "TIFF's Canada's Top Ten Includes BlackBerry, Solo, Humanist Vampire". That Shelf, December 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Balaga, Marta (September 8, 2023). "'Radical and Courageous' Dark Comedy 'Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,' 'Through the Night' Pick Up Venice Days Awards". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  15. ^ Toombs, Aryn (September 26, 2023). "Winners of 2023 CIFF competitions unveiled". LiveWire Calgary. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Summer Qamp, Drawing a Life audience favourites at CIFF". LiveWire Calgary. October 3, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "Cinéfest reveals 2023 award winners". Sudbury.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "[FNC 2023] Chloé Leriche et Ariane Louis-Seize récompensées". Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  19. ^ Thiessen, Connie (October 23, 2023). "'Women Talking' leads winners at 22nd annual DGC Awards". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Horror comedy from Ariane Louis-Seize wins Windsor International Film Festival prize". Toronto Star. October 29, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Vlessing, Etan (January 22, 2024). "Oppenheimer Leads Vancouver Film Critics Circle Nominations With Six Nods". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 17, 2023). "AwardsWatch - Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards: 'The Zone of Interest' Wins Best Picture, Director". AwardsWatch. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Les finalistes du 13e PCCQ". Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  24. ^ "BlackBerry Leads CSA Nominations – Northernstars". www.northernstars.ca. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  25. ^ Thiessen, Connie (May 31, 2024). "Canadian Screen Awards winners: Cinematic Arts". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.
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