Touches You

Sadly Over-hyped

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Asia Argento's extraordinary film "The Heart is Deceitful Above all Things" works by the very nature of its crudeness. Cinematically it's an unstructured, rule-breaking movie which, I suppose, is perfectly in keeping with its source material. It's based on J.T. LeRoy's autobiographical novel of an abusive childhood but the book itself turned out to something of a fraud as LeRoy as not the boy in question but a woman, Laura Albert.It's certainly not an easy watch but then neither is it exploitative as the horrors inflicted on young Jeremiah, played brilliantly by a number of actors, happen mostly off-screen. Argento co-wrote the screenplay and as well as directing also played, quite terrifically, the appalling sex-addicted, drug-addicted mother while Eric Alan Edward's near-psychedelic cinematography is often disconcertingly beautiful. The film was first shown at Cannes but has since all but disappeared lending it a certain cult status. Well working seeking out and a perfect double-bill with the screen version of "Last Exit to Brooklyn".

A long title taken from a verse in the Bible, and directed by and starring Asia Argento, this unhappy tale of a drug addicted mother, Sarah(Argento) and her son, Jeremiah, from age seven to eleven. Mom has series of relationships with abusive men, and she abandons her boy and travels to Atlantic City with Emerson, who she leaves to head back home. Emerson shows up and rapes the boy, who is taken to a hospital, where his grandmother takes him to West Virginia, to live with his grandfather who leads a Christian cult. Three years later super mom reappears to reclaim the kid. Her newest boyfriend, Ken, leaves them at a truck stop where Sarah turns tricks, and decides to dress her boy up as a girl in order to attract men; my God, what a family. Just when you thought it was not possible, it gets worse. Mommy and her cross dressing boy wind up in a house which is a meth lab, which is too much to resist for Sarah, and after an explosion kills her most recent boyfriend, she is convinced that any other then soda and chips are poison. They shoplift and Jeremiah scavenges a hamburger out of a dumpster, which mom thinks will do him in, and so she gives him ipecac to force vomiting. A hospital is the next stop for the kid, and the psych ward for his mother. If you can make it this far, you might as well hang in there for the ending, which as wacky as the rest of this insane drama. Watch at your own risk.

I stumbled upon this movie 4 days ago. I found this under movies that Marilyn Manson was in, so I clicked on it and the synopsis. It sounded like it had a really good plot, so I ordered it. It was a really good and interesting movie that dealt with drug addiction, child abuse, and child rape! I probably wouldn't recommend that you watch this with your parents. A drug-addict/hooker named Sarah takes her son, Jeremiah back, but he doesn't like her, so he runs away. Sarah finds him and gets with an abusive guy that rapes and beats Jeremiah. Jeremiah is sent to live with Sarah's God-obsessed parents. After three years, Sarah is back and takes Jeremiah with her again. Sarah soon realizes that if she is going to keep her men, then she cannot say Jeremiah is her son, so she persuades him to cross dressing. (Don't think I'm gay, but I honestly think Jeremiah looked extremely sexy dressed as a girl.) It's too bad that Marilyn Manson only had a 5 minute cameo, because he was really good. Sarah and Jeremiah go into hiding because she thinks everyone is after them. She makes him think that certain foods are poisoned and makes him drink ipecac. Asia Argento, and the Sprouse brothers did an awesome job. Asia also did a great job at directing. If you love child abuse, drugs, and cross dressing kids, you'll love THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS!!!

There is something natural yet amazing about the fact that some movies about real, maybe tragic or shocking events have barely touched me - I might have consumed them as light arts - while this fictitious story has recalled so many shocking, depressing facts within a very short time, mainly those newspaper articles you just do not want to read, though you know this are the articles that are to be read, but you're conscious you simply will not read them because they evoke so much helpless anger ... it's within the sad topic itself.I think the overall strategy of the movie is chosen quite well. The aesthetics, photography and visuals of this movie reflect the world of the and confused child mother: this pictures are somewhat clichés of those typical highway movies: cool music, a music clip feeling, hard rock cafes, violence and cheap lust, passing road markings. I think it's a good strategy for this movie: it's the atmosphere from this glaring movies you would normally consider as cool "trash" and you might expect Dennis Hopper appearing. But this time the scenery will enclose a plot that will not give you just an amazing story, some thrills or good "sounds & visuals", but a real punch in the gut.As said before: this movie is depressing. It's surely not the best selection if you plan to have a popcorn movie session with your friends (well, it depends on you).If you are interested in the topic of child abuse or if you are convinced that arts are not just for entertainment and escapism, but may confront yourself with oppressive themes of the real life, you might want to watch this one.