Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Review: Ariane Louis-Seize’s Debut Movie is a Rewarding Blend of Teenage Comedy and Bloodstained Gore

   September 30, 2024
humanist vampire seeking consenting suicidal person 2024 movie
Sara Montpetit in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2024), directed by Ariane Louis-Seize
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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is just as ridiculous and comical as its English-language title would suggest. The movie is a riff on the vampire genre in a similar way that What We Do in the Shadows is. They both poke fun at the blasé, mundane, and almost emo way in which we consume much of the vampire material that’s been produced this century. Because vampires have become synonymous with counterculture, often because the motifs and iconography of these monsters reflect that of the unimpressed teenage mindset.

And Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person aims to both capitalize on that way of thinking, as well as subvert the common tone and practicality of the typical vampire film. The movie is much softer and more observant than your classic creature feature, often using its pessimistic teenage female lead as a buffer between the viewer and the all-too-common violence you’d expect from a film in this subgenre.

The movie follows a young vampire named Sasha (Sara Montpetit), who from an early age realizes that blood and gore doesn’t set off her hunger receptors, rather she feels an abundance of empathy towards the victims the rest of her family chooses to consume. As a result, her unimpressed vampirical parents cut off her blood supply and leave her to fend for herself, putting her life in danger if she can’t find the necessary blood she needs for survival.

But luckily for her, she meets Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a high school student with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give up his life for hers. They strike up a bond as they both feel like outsiders in a world that should otherwise feel like home. Sasha plans to comply with Paul’s request, but before she does, the two set out to fulfill Paul’s final wish.

Thus begins a night of bonding and reflecting for the two awkward, shy, and ultimately endearing teenagers. As the movie goes on, those exact characteristics are conveyed exceptionally to the viewer. It’s a sweeter movie than you’d expect given the material, but it plays in a way that has you endlessly engaged and liking the two central characters.

Montpetit and Bénard display their awkwardness in great, specific detail. The smallest decisions, from their haircuts to the clothes they wear, build dimensions to their characters that speak volumes even if never reflected upon. For being a debut movie, director Ariane Louis-Seize is able to mine so much introspective, original material from a script that is rather barebones. The deadpan, dry comedy ultimately helps elevate the movie and give it character.

And because of this, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is one of my favorite directorial debuts of the 2020s. A decisive, endearing French-language movie from Canada that finds a youthful voice and manages to string you along with specific set design and a few startling set pieces. It works well within its own genre, while finding a very distinct tone.

Score: 7/10

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