Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Review- Dilemma of a Teen Vampire

The detachment to the world, from the POV of a teenage vampire, and a human is the profound exploration at the heart of this beautiful French movie. It entangles you into its intricate world from the epilogue itself. But before I break its plot down for you, which I need to do to freely deliver my Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant)review– it has SPOILERS! It’s a movie that you should explore unknowingly of the surprises that are awaiting you. 

But if you’re still on the fence, here’s my take: if you appreciate the artistic beauty of filmmaking, then go for it! This isn’t a typical horror-themed vampire story blended with elements of comedy; it’s a journey of two lonely souls whose existences seem intricately written for each other.

Spoiler Alert: Diving Deep Into the Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Plot

The film begins with an epilogue showcasing Sasha’s childhood version, an empathetic soul into the body of a vampire who lacks fangs. Her family invites a clown to her birthday, but to Sasha’s surprise, not just for her entertainment. Sasha’s family tries to persuade her to hunt the clown which she refuses to do due to her deep sense of empathy towards humans. And by the way, we and her family also get to know that Sasha is a piano prodigy.

Fast forward to her teenage years, Sasha’s mom isn’t very happy about her eating (or maybe drinking in this case?) out of the fridge. She wants her to grow fangs and earn her food- Dad, on the other hand, is understanding and wants her to take her time.

Sasha’s family is a typical cunning vampire family motivated by their hunger and only focused on cruelty. But there’s a lot of humanism mixed with it; Not only in the family but also in this atypical world of vampires. There are vampire doctors as well, who try to train Sasha as a child to grow fangs. Nothing works.

Sasha’s Vampirism x Humanism

Anyway, to continue the Humanist Vampire plot, Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is now stuck in the dilemma of satisfying her hunger or keeping her empathy intact. And one day, after one of her performances, she comes across Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a teenager looking forward to escapism from this world through death. 

While Paul doesn’t proceed with his end there, it gives Sasha some hope. She follows him until he is alone, and before she attacks, or whatever her plan is, Paul gets scared and accidentally hits himself too hard and faints.

Well, Sasha gets worried and leaves back for her home, Paul had seen her fangs though, he knew. At home, Sasha’s parents find human food (for context, human food can kill vampires). This makes Sasha’s parents think she is suicidal or something, and send her to Denise, an experienced brutal vampire who enjoys the art of killing. 

Denise vs Sasha

Denise and Sasha had a little tension of their own as Denise tried hard to push her into hunting humans. Driven by her hunger, Sasha agrees to join Denise for a hunt, which leads them to JP. During the hunt, Sasha backs out and escapes from the location. Denise is now left with JP, who turns into a vampire because of not dying after being bitten.

Meanwhile, Sasha reunites with Paul in a suicide support group. They knew they could help each other and come back together to Sasha’s home after the meeting. But Sasha’s fangs still do not work, and she tries to postpone Paul’s murder by insisting him to have a dying wish. Together they go to fulfill Paul’s wish which leads to a confrontation with the bullies from Paul’s school, ultimately leading Sasha to hunt one of them. 

Sasha then calls Denise to help her with Henry’s (the bully she killed) body. Denise, however, insists on Paul’s murder which makes Sasha angry and hits her. Sasha runs to Paul and together they decide to run away. 

Paul’s Escape Plan Where Nobody Escapes

But in the motel where they stay, Paul comes up with a plan, he asks Sasha to turn him into a vampire too so he can help her find consensual humans. His plan was called “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (French: Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant)”.

Well, as Sasha warned, it was not that simple, but I am not going to tell you what happens next. I am sure you have enough idea of the movie and the beauty of its plot. It’s a sad flick blended with beautiful grainy, saturated frames. I loved every second of it, and I have this idea, that you will too.

So I am going to defend you from the spoiler of the ending. But you should definitely give it a shot. 

The movie is worth it!

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Cinematography

For me, what makes the movie more beautiful is its thoughtful cinematography. I have mentioned this earlier. From the grainy frames to colors that are extra saturated, everything looks so aesthetic yet gothic. How lights change with the mood, how Sasha’s powers impact electricity, all those detailings made the movie a literal work of art. Then, of course, soothing conversations that didn’t require too many dialogues to deliver the message. Some scenes, especially the ones where Sasha and Paul were alone in rooms, were well put. 

The first one is with the music where both hardcore introverts let their fun personalities come out, be themselves with each other, and enjoy music openly; those little details make me attached to such movies, and I find that kind of comfort relatable. As if the scene is representing what my idea of a perfect date is.

There’s another scene, I got the screenshot of it, here. 

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Trailer

Stream Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person on MUBI

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Well, that’s all. Super curious to hear about your thoughts on the movie, let me know if you have any.

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