“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” (2023), which is a translation of the original title, “Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant,” is a Quebecois feature film debut of director and cowriter Ariane Louis-Seize and cowriter Christine Doyon. Because of a rare neurological condition and/or a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a childhood incident, Sasha (Sara Montpetit), a young vampire, is developmentally delayed and her fangs have not fallen until she notices Paul (Felix-Antoine Benard), a suicidal young human who is the only child of a single mother and is the target of bullies of all ages. After supplying Sasha with blood bags all of her life, Sasha’s family decides to try tough love and force her to hunt now that she meets the necessary physical requirements, but she refuses to kill anyone, which means she will die of starvation. After a brief encounter, when she and Paul recognize each other at a suicide prevention group therapy meeting, they decide to solve each other’s problems.
Doyon and Louis-Seize reveal a deft touch in finding the balance between the tenebrous, inherent danger and latent humor of a world where human beings coexist with vampires. Some rules are the same as existing vampire mythology. Vampires need blood to live, cannot be exposed to sunlight and are stronger and more agile than human beings. There are some changes. Vampires appear to be a separate humanoid species that are born that way with their own biological makeup which differs from ours. Food is poisonous. They age slowly, and at least Sasha’s emotions appear to have an ergokinetic effect. In addition, Sasha seems to have the ability to communicate telepathically and reveal that she is not an ordinary girl, but she must focus as if she is gathering her power from her surroundings or an invisible force. Montpetit is convincing as a sensitive, awkward, easily mortified girl without sacrificing any of the monstrous or intimidating quality of her genus. Sasha can’t be mistaken for an intense Goth girl but would fit right in as a cousin of Tuesday Addams or a member of the Munster family.
Unlike these silver screen counterparts, Sasha’s family could be mistaken for an ordinary family that seems a bit pale and emotionless, but otherwise average. They react to Sasha’s refusal to hunt like a family dealing with a grown adult living in the basement and refusing to get a job as if Sasha made a choice and does not have a disability. Drinking from a baggie makes Sasha seem like a grown toddler and an affectation. Sasha’s diagnosis puts a strain on the family and widens the existing cracks. Like most families, the mother, Georgette (Sophie Cadieux), feels as if she is doing all the heavy lifting and paying the price for the permissive father, Aurelien (Steve Laplante), who hunts infrequently. Aunt Victorine (Marie Brassard) is an unflinching, no-nonsense vampire eager to whip Sasha into homicidal shape. Their interventions results in Sasha living with cousin Denise (Noemie O’Farrell), who has none of Sasha’s qualms, is a bit blunt and emotionless, but to a human being, would seem like a mean, unconventional hot girl who does not care about anyone’s feelings, but in actuality, just thinks human beings are beneath her and are just food. The character is styled like Victoria in “Twilight” (2008), and a lot of the humor relies on Sasha ruining one of Denise’s kills and the consequences.
Coming into a movie expecting a woman vampire protagonist then getting a huge swath of the plot devoted to a human teenage boy without becoming enraged speaks to how entertaining and well-crafted “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” is. The beleaguered Paul never has a good moment until he meets Sasha. He may suffer from depression, but it is not just a chemical imbalance, but a rational response to his environment. For some reason, French people on the continent— “Saturn Bowling” (2022)—and Quebec seem to share one favored pastime, bowling as an exclusively nighttime activity with a clublike atmosphere. Paul works. At a popular local bowling alley Henry (Arnaud Vachon) is his main bully at school and at work, but he is not alone. The filmmakers offer a snapshot of an average day for a high schooler like Paul, and the only person in his corner is his mother, Sandrine (Madeleine Peloquin). It is easy to understand that Paul is not suffering from teenage angst because his life is nothing but a gauntlet of ridicule and unremitting joylessness. Paul is quiet, awkward, not as developed compared to his peers and is trying to make himself unperceived so he is a smaller target. When Paul notices a vampire, a scene which evokes “The Lost Boys” (1987), he is not afraid, but thrilled because it means that he may have found a better out than killing himself and have the bonus of saving someone’s life, thus making his death meaningful. When this vampire becomes a friend who also happens to be a beautiful girl, Paul finally experiences a bright spot and blooms as does Sasha.
Sasha and Paul suddenly enjoy life because they have someone outside of their respective families who understands, empathizes with them and is willing to die for the other. They become their fullest best selves in each other’s company. She finally embraces her vampire powers, and he learns to stand up for himself and proves to be a bit of an innovative problem solver. Without obviously having an overt romantic movie agenda, “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” ends up feeling like a Savage Steve Holland movie like “Better Off Dead” (1985) with a horror romance twist normally reserved for a Nicholas Hoult movie like “Warm Bodies” (2013) or “Renfield” (2023), which also uses a support group to propel the narrative forward. The connection feels organic like a meeting of souls or finding another half, not attraction. It is not overtly sexual even though during their first time alone, the fangs are kind of like the equivalent of an erection, and Sasha is embarrassed and hides when they emerge as if they are not just teeth with a functional carnivore purpose. Their furtive glances and initial nervous interactions are like a couple on the first date of their lives, not just with each other. It’s super cute, and like Sasha, most moviegoers will hope that there is a way for her not to kill her only person.
It is easy to forget that as individuals, when Sasha and Paul are not preoccupied with death, they enjoy music and collect rocks respectively, but Louis-Seize and Doyon loop back to that theme in the final scene. “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” is an unexpected delight about misfits finally embracing themselves and finding joy in each other without sacrificing the innate brutality of vampires. With few daytime scenes, the movie is also a gorgeous nighttime tale without feeling oppressive or making the images difficult to discern—looking at you, “Game of Thrones.”
Even if you normally avoid subtitles, “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” is worth the effort. It is an entertaining film with a poignant beating heart which sympathizes with most of its characters and finds a fresh way to inject life into a vampire movie.
