Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (), also released as Humanist Vampire Too Sensitive to Kill, is a 2023 French-language Canadian vampire comedy drama film co-written and directed by Ariane Louis-Seize. It stars Sara Montpetit as Sasha, a teenage vampire who befriends Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a boy with suicidal tendencies.
Plot 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, distracting her and turning him into a vampire. 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, turning him into a vampire, but he starts struggling to breathe. Sasha calls her family, who are able to save him by feeding him a bloodbag.
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.
Cast
Production Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person was shot in fall 2022 in Montreal.Charles-Henri Ramond, "Ariane Louis-Seize en tournage". Films du Québec, November 17, 2022.
Release Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023."Vampire dramedy, tribute to late Jean-Marc Vallée set for Venice film sidebar". Toronto Star, July 27, 2023. The film had its Canadian premiere in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and received a gala screening at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. It also screened in the Noves Visions section at the 56th Sitges Film Festival. The film was released in Canada on October 13, 2023, by H264. 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.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
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."
The film was included in TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.Pat Mullen, "TIFF's Canada's Top Ten Includes BlackBerry, Solo, Humanist Vampire". That Shelf, December 6, 2023.
Accolades Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Venice International Film Festival September 9, 2023 Giornate degli Autori, Best Director Ariane Louis-Seize Calgary International Film Festival September 25, 2023 RBC Emerging Canadian Artist October 3, 2023 Audience Choice Award, Canadian Narrative Feature Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival September 28, 2023 Best French-Language Feature Film Festival du nouveau cinéma October 15, 2023 National Competition, Grand Prize Directors Guild of Canada October 21, 2023 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award Ariane Louis-Seize Windsor International Film Festival October 29, 2023 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 12, 2024 Best Canadian Film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Best Female Actor in a Canadian Film Sara Montpetit One to Watch Ariane Louis-Seize Toronto Film Critics Association March 4, 2024 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award Ariane Louis-Seize Prix collégial du cinéma québécois April 5, 2024 Best Film Canadian Screen Awards 2024Best PictureJeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede Best DirectorAriane Louis-SeizeBest Lead Performance in a Comedy FilmFélix-Antoine BénardSara MontpetitBest Supporting Performance in a Comedy FilmSteve LaplanteNoémie O'FarrellBest Original ScreenplayAriane Louis-Seize, Christine DoyonBest Art Direction/Production DesignLudovic Dufresne Best Costume DesignKelly-Anne BonieuxBest EditingStéphane LafleurBest Casting in a FilmTania AranaJohn Dunning Best First FeatureAriane Louis-Seize Prix Iris December 8, 2024Best FilmJeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede "Suivez notre couverture en direct du 26e Gala Québec Cinéma". Ici Radio-Canada, December 8, 2024. Best Director Ariane Louis-Seize Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024. Best Actor Félix-Antoine Bénard Best Actress Sara Montpetit Best Supporting Actor Steve Laplante Best Supporting Actress Marie Brassard Sophie Cadieux Noémie O'Farrell Revelation of the Year Félix-Antoine Bénard Best Screenplay Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon Best Art Direction Ludovic DufresneCharles-Henri Ramond, "Gala Artisans 2024: les lauréats dévoilés". Films du Québec, December 5, 2024. Best Costume Design Kelly-Anne Bonieux Best Cinematography Shawn Pavlin Best Editing Stéphane Lafleur Best Original Music Pierre-Philippe Côté Best Sound Marie-Pierre Grenier, Simon Gervais, Luc Boudrias, Thierry Bourgault D'Amico Best Hairstyling Jean-Luc Lapierre Best Makeup Tania Guarnaccia Best Visual Effects Marie-Claude Lafontaine, Jean-François Ferland, Simon Beaupré Best Casting Tania Arana Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Jeanne-Marie Poulain, Line Sander Egede, Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon, Stéphanie Demers, Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne Best First Film Ariane Louis-Seize
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