I’ve been enamored with the French-Canadian “Humanist Vampire…” since the beginning of the year but didn’t quite have the means of being able to view it. I’m glad that I finally had a chance to, since Ariane Louis-Seize creates such a charming, and interesting coming of age horror comedy that re-thinks the whole idea of being a vampire, while also using it as an allegory for restarting our lives. Louis-Seize’s horror comedy, while not entirely original, still excels on being a great slice of life that embraces the absurdity of its premise.
Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too empathetic to feed on innocent prey! When her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha’s life is in jeopardy. Luckily, she meets Paul, a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers. But their friendly agreement soon becomes a nocturnal quest to fulfill Paul’s last wishes before day breaks.
The whole concept of a vampire in this world is still a fully forming adult, with the idea of vampirism coming on as something of a genetic trait. When Sasha can’t quite develop her fangs, it’s likened to something similar to impotence, and Sasha has to find out a way to find a renewed interest in her existence. She has no life to speak of, being a vampire and all, but she does find some kind of meaning with the discovery of Paul. Paul is a young man who is somewhat apathetic and often lacking in any drive to keep pushing forward. This gives him the unusual opportunity to cross paths with Sasha, who finds some a potential loophole with him.
If she can’t eat victims, she can probably find people that want to give over their lives, thus curing her of the inherent guilt of preying on her victims. Along the way, ironically Paul finds a chance to re-claim his life by getting payback on the people that make his daily life miserable. The chemistry between Sara MontPetit and Félix-Antoine Bénard is what really makes “Humanist Vampire…” such an experience worth seeking out. Their banter and subtle glances toward each other as well as their comparisons and contrasting to how they view life are often beautiful.
One moment in particular find the pair quietly sharing Sasha’s favorite song. The cast’s collective performances punctuate Ariane Louis-Seize’s darky pulpy direction which often feels like a callback to “A Girl Walks Alone at Night” at times. “Humanist Vampire…” is a welcome treat in a year filled with new horror movies desperate to set themselves a part from one another.
The Make Believe Film Festival screens exclusively in person at the Erickson Theatre, Northwest Film Forum, and the Grand Illusion Cinema from March 21st through 26th.