Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | |
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French | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant |
Directed by | Ariane Louis-Seize |
Written by |
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Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Shawn Pavlin |
Edited by | Stéphane Lafleur |
Music by | Pierre-Philippe Côté |
Production company | Art et Essai |
Distributed by | H264 |
Release dates |
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Running time | 91 minutes [1] |
Country | Canada |
Language | French |
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.
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.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person was shot in fall 2022 in Montreal. [4]
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]
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]
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] |
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 | [25] | ||
Best Art Direction/Production Design | Ludovic Dufresne | Nominated | [24] | ||
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 | Won | [26] |
Best Director | Ariane Louis-Seize | Nominated | [27] | ||
Best Actor | Félix-Antoine Bénard | Nominated | |||
Best Actress | Sara Montpetit | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Steve Laplante | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Marie Brassard | Nominated | |||
Sophie Cadieux | Nominated | ||||
Noémie O'Farrell | Nominated | ||||
Revelation of the Year | Félix-Antoine Bénard | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon | Won | [26] | ||
Best Art Direction | Ludovic Dufresne | Won | [28] | ||
Best Costume Design | Kelly-Anne Bonieux | Nominated | [27] | ||
Best Cinematography | Shawn Pavlin | Nominated | |||
Best Editing | Stéphane Lafleur | Won | [28] | ||
Best Original Music | Pierre-Philippe Côté | Nominated | [27] | ||
Best Sound | Marie-Pierre Grenier, Simon Gervais, Luc Boudrias, Thierry Bourgault D'Amico | Won | [28] | ||
Best Hairstyling | Jean-Luc Lapierre | Nominated | [27] | ||
Best Makeup | Tania Guarnaccia | Nominated | |||
Best Visual Effects | Marie-Claude Lafontaine, Jean-François Ferland, Simon Beaupré | Won | [28] | ||
Best Casting | Tania Arana | Won | |||
Most Successful Film Outside Quebec | Jeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede, Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon, Stéphanie Demers, Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne | Nominated | [27] | ||
Best First Film | Ariane Louis-Seize | Won | [26] |
Sophie Cadieux is a Canadian actress from Quebec. She is most noted for her role as Valérie Danault in the television series Lâcher prise, for which she won the Prix Gémeaux for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Ariane Louis-Seize is a Canadian film director and screenwriter from Quebec.
Noémie O'Farrell is a Canadian actress from Lévis, Quebec. She is most noted for her performances in the 2019 film Fabulous (Fabuleuses), for which she received a Prix Iris nomination for Best Actress at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards, and the 2023 film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.
Micheline Bernard is a Canadian actress. She is most noted for her performances in the films Small Blind , for which she received a Jutra Award nomination for Best Actress at the 15th Jutra Awards in 2013, and Matthias & Maxime, for which she won the Prix Iris for Best Supporting Actress at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards in 2020.
The Prix Iris for Revelation of the Year is an annual award, presented by Québec Cinéma as part of its Prix Iris program, to honour the best performances by emerging actors in their first major film roles. The award is not separated by gender.
The Prix Iris for Best First Film is an annual film award, presented by Québec Cinéma as part of its Prix Iris awards program, to honour the year's best debut film made within the Cinema of Quebec.
Madeleine Péloquin is a Canadian actress from Quebec. She is most noted for her performance in the 2011 film For the Love of God , for which she received a Jutra Award nomination for Best Actress at the 14th Jutra Awards in 2012.
Arnaud Vachon is a Canadian actor from Saint-Isidore, Quebec. He is most noted for his performance in the film The Vinland Club , for which he received a Prix Iris nomination for Revelation of the Year at the 23rd Quebec Cinema Awards in 2021.
Sara Montpetit is a French Canadian actress and environmental activist from Quebec. She is most noted for her performance in the 2021 film Maria Chapdelaine, for which she won the Prix Iris for Revelation of the Year at the 24th Quebec Cinema Awards.
The 2023 edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma, the 52nd edition in the event's history, took place from October 4 to 15, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Mothers and Monsters is a 2023 Canadian short drama film, written and directed by Édith Jorisch. An allegory for women's anxieties and fears about motherhood, the film depicts a group of women at a banquet whose babies are delivered to them in heads of cabbage, amid an increasingly strange and surreal environment.
Line Sander Egede is a Danish-Canadian film producer, associated with the Montreal-based film studio Art & Essai. She is most noted as a producer of Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , which was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Picture at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.
Félix-Antoine Bénard is a Canadian actor from Quebec, most noted for his performance as Paul in the 2023 film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person . He received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards, and Prix Iris nominations for Best Actor and Revelation of the Year at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards. Alongside Ariane Castellanos, he was one of the first two actors in the history of the Prix Iris to receive dual nominations, in both Revelation and one of the lead acting categories, for the same performance.
Jeanne-Marie Poulain is a Canadian film producer, associated with the Montreal-based film studio Art & Essai. They are most noted as a producer of Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , which was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Picture at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.
Ludovic Dufresne is a Canadian film art director and production designer. He is most noted for his work on the films Noemie Says Yes , for which he received a Directors Guild of Canada nomination for Best Production Design in a Feature Film in 2022, and Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Art Direction/Production Design at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards and won the Prix Iris for Best Art Direction at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards.
Kelly-Anne Bonieux is a Canadian costume designer from Quebec. She is most noted for her work on the film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.
Christine Doyon is a Canadian screenwriter from Quebec. With Ariane Louis-Seize, Doyon co-wrote the award-winning film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person .
The 26th Quebec Cinema Awards was held on December 8, 2024, to honour achievements in the Cinema of Quebec in 2023 and 2024. The ceremony was broadcast by Noovo, and hosted by Phil Roy.
Shawn Pavlin is a Canadian cinematographer from Quebec. He is most noted for his work on the film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , for which he received a Prix Iris nomination for Best Cinematography at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2024.
Tania Arana is a casting director, who works in both France and Canada. She is most noted for her work on the film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person , for which she received both a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Casting in a Film at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards, and a Prix Iris nomination for Best Casting at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards.