Chelsea Alexandra
In the horror genre, Vampires have not only been a staple monster but also seemingly the most popular. From Nosferatu to the most recent Vampire film, Abigail, there have been many different vampire stories told. These vampiric creatures were often viewed as evil spirits and demons stealing away livestock or people to take their life force from them. In most vampire works, the creatures symbolize the fear of being cast away from society, as typically lonely figures of the night until they find their companions. Humans who are turned by a vampire to join their clan.
However, what happens when you are an outsider to your clan? Ariane Louise-Seize’s first feature film, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, is a dark coming-of-age comedy that gets right to the point of that question.
Sasha (Sara Montpetit), is a sensitive young (68 years-old) vampire who is having trouble hunting. She is empathetic to human life and is struggling to drink directly from the source. After a traumatic birthday party incident, Her parents, Aurélien (Steve Laplante) and Sandrine (Madeleine Péloquin) take her to a specialist to figure out why she is struggling to kill. After decades of living under her parent’s roof, her mother does not want to support her drinking from blood bags. She is forced to live with her cousin, Denise (Noémie O’Farrell) who is meant to help her kill.
Meanwhile, there is Paul (Félix Antoine Bérnard) who is a depressed and ostracized teenager. He works at a bowling alley where he gets bullied by another co-worker. Outside of the bowling alley, he attends suicide support groups at night. Both Sasha and Paul feel completely trapped in their existence and would love nothing more than to end it all. Then one night Sasha finds herself at the suicide support group and meets Paul.
Montepetit embodies all of the teenage angst a sixty-eight-year-old vampire could have. Completely deadpan as she sucks on a blood bag and keeps herself small when interacting with her family. When she is with Paul, he does not judge her or her empathy and appreciation for human life. The duo together are charming regardless of their awkwardness around each other. In their way, they find comfort in each other’s presence.
The pairing of Bérnard and Montpetit balances each other out. Neither understand their place in the world and yet can shine a light on what the other is missing. They both push each other and in turn, help each other become the people they’d like to be. While Sasha helps Paul find a reason to live and appreciate the life he has, Paul helps Sasha find humanity and value in herself while also finding her reason to keep living. Humanist Vampire is a story about the beauty in finding your person.
Humanist Vampire gets right to the point, it is about two lonely outsiders who find each other and form a bond. However, there is a deeper existential layer to the film. Louise-Seize’s film is a study about the value of life. It makes you think about if someone else’s life is worth more than your own. With the character of Sasha being so empathetic to human life, she is ready to allow herself to starve to not kill. We watch her have these conflicting feelings about whether she would rather die or force herself to feed. She sees value in human life. With this empathy however, she sees no value in her own life. The one thing she is suppose to do, the one thing that is necessary for her survival, she cannot bring herself to do. She is unable to kill. Her journey in finding value in herself is a sweet one. Although Humanist Vampire ends with a nicely wrapped ending, it was a satisfying one because of Sasha’s empathy for life. Talking about death and the value of life can be excruciatingly bleak; however, Humanist Vampire ends up dealing with the topic of death humorously.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is an entertaining blood-thirsty coming-of-age film. It is a refreshing take on the traditional vampire horror flick, ultimately humanizing the creatures. It creatively tackles ethical questions about existence with deadpan humor. Although it is a story where death is constantly looming in the background, it stays light-hearted and easy to digest. As Sasha and Paul grow fonder of one another, it becomes a sweet story about finding your kindred spirit. It is a real mash-up of What We Do in the Shadows humor and Let the Right One In companionship, that in itself is enough to watch!
