Based on a J.T. Leroy novel (which doesn't tell me anything), The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things covers the growing up of young Jeremiah, the world's unluckiest kid. A product of a junkie mother, Jeremiah is taken away from his perfectly good foster parents and put in the care of his birth mother who takes him on a wild ride that is her life. Constantly taking drugs, along with being a truck stop prostitute, Jeremiah's mother subjects her son to a miserable existence which will most likely not have a happy ending.
The second film directed by Asia Argento (the other being Scarlet Diva), this is a much better film and Asia definitely has some talent behind the camera. For the most part the film is decently written, depicting such utter lowlifes and an appalling lifestyle very well, making the film nearly into an educational video diary which shows you what happens when you succumb to the world of drugs and prostitution.
The film doesn't take shortcuts anywhere and doesn't sugarcoat the characters. Asia is a genuinely revolting character and doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. It's hinted at that she grew up in a very religious and strict household and she rebelled against it, but the film doesn't make any attempts at getting the viewer to sympathize with her. It's Jeremiah who's the real victim here and that's a part this film does very well. How he ends up isn't revealed.
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things isn't a pleasurable viewing experience, in fact it mostly makes you feel depressed. It looks and feels authentic enough and it definitely has an impact. Asia is quite good in her role but all the kids who portray Jeremiah are excellent. Famous faces pop up in cameos but only Peter Fonda registers at all, playing a strict preacher who takes care of Jeremiah for a few years.
The second film directed by Asia Argento (the other being Scarlet Diva), this is a much better film and Asia definitely has some talent behind the camera. For the most part the film is decently written, depicting such utter lowlifes and an appalling lifestyle very well, making the film nearly into an educational video diary which shows you what happens when you succumb to the world of drugs and prostitution.
The film doesn't take shortcuts anywhere and doesn't sugarcoat the characters. Asia is a genuinely revolting character and doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. It's hinted at that she grew up in a very religious and strict household and she rebelled against it, but the film doesn't make any attempts at getting the viewer to sympathize with her. It's Jeremiah who's the real victim here and that's a part this film does very well. How he ends up isn't revealed.
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things isn't a pleasurable viewing experience, in fact it mostly makes you feel depressed. It looks and feels authentic enough and it definitely has an impact. Asia is quite good in her role but all the kids who portray Jeremiah are excellent. Famous faces pop up in cameos but only Peter Fonda registers at all, playing a strict preacher who takes care of Jeremiah for a few years.