By Hope Needles, April 27, 2006
'Heart' of unimaginable horror
It is always impressive and commendable to discover that the lead actor of a movie is also that film’s principal writer and director. However ambitious this individual may seem for pouring so many different talents into a single project, assuming virtually all responsibility for a film can be a potentially risky endeavor. In the new film “The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” it is clear where the writer/director and lead actress—Asia Argento—possesses the most talent and familiarity.
“The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” is adapted from the book of the same title by J.T. LeRoy. Argento adapted the short stories back when they were believed to be autobiographical accounts of LeRoy’s traumatic childhood experiences growing up with an unstable environment. However, it was just discovered earlier this year that the book, as well as the identity of the author, were purely fictitious creations of the failed musician-turned-author Laura Albert.
“The Heart is …” introduces us in the beginning to a seven-year-old boy named Jeremiah (Jimmy Bennett, later played by the twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse). Young Jeremiah’s life is unimaginably painful at this early stage in the film, when Jeremiah is forced out of the arms of his foster parents and back into the custody of his reckless, Courtney Love look-a-like mother Sarah (Asia Argento). It is a surprise that Sarah has been granted custody of her son, as she is extremely irresponsible and ill-suited to let a child into her life. When we first encounter Sarah we can only imagine that allowing Jeremiah into her life will potentially lead to abuse, permanent emotional damage and summon an abrupt end to any of the boy’s remaining childhood innocence. Unfortunately all of this—and more—turns out to be true.
Sarah is indeed a dangerous influence on Jeremiah—she supports herself through prostitution while feeding a drug addiction and traveling from one boyfriend to the next. For the next 98 minutes of the film, we observe Sarah’s implosive temper towards Jeremiah and the utter lack of discretion she exercises in her parental role. This is a mother who suggests a bathtub as a bed for her son and does not think twice about leaving a young child home alone—for days.
Argento is commendable in her role as Sarah, as disturbing as it is to watch such a cruel and inhumane character inflict damage upon a child. It would have been interesting to see more of how Sarah’s character evolves with the addition of each new boyfriend in her life including the actors Kip Pardue, Marilyn Manson and Jeremy Sisto. While Argento does allow for a limited character development in Sarah to take place, there is not a complete enough of a development to lead up to Sarah’s decision to completely abandon her boyfriend and her son. After Sarah’s departure, Jeremiah is left in the hands of a boyfriend and suffers even more abuse. At this point in the film, after all that the young boy has been through, the events that occur are beyond unthinkable.
Unfortunately Argento’s skilled acting performance is not complemented by either the film’s screenplay or general direction and editing. Perhaps it is the short-story framework to Laura Albert’s book which lends itself to this film, resulting in an overall choppy and uneven revelation of a single storyline. Even if the stories in the book “The Heart is ...” were actually true, it would still be a stretch of the imagination to accept such a confusing adaptation as completely factual.
Another problematic aspect of this is the lack of attention given to the interaction between Jeremiah and Sarah. While we do observe a good deal of damage and abuse transpire we are given insufficient insight into what such damage is doing to the poor child’s mind and perspectives about life.
“The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” is one of the most disturbing and unsettling films that I have seen in recent memory. A good two-thirds 2/3 of this movie is almost too painful to watch. As an alternative to seeing this film I would prefer to recommend Jonathan Caouette's autobiographical documentary, out on DVD, entitled “Tarnation.”
Unlike “The Heart is…,” “Tarnation” delivers the story of a troubled childhood and family situation through carefully produced and edited footage. Most intriguing of all: “Tarnation,” unlike “The Heart is...” is a powerful, and emotionally complex, real-life story.
About the author
Hope Needles is currently a Junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs. She is majoring in Latin American Studies with a minor in Statistics. Aside from constantly seeing the latest indie or foreign film to reach the box-office, she is an avid runner and biker and enjoys painting and drawing in her spare time. She is also a self-confessed NPR and NBC news junkie.
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