Review of The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004) by Larry M — 11 Sep 2007

There is some seriously disturbing shit happening in this film, and most of it is happening to a young boy named Jeremiah (Jimmy Bennett, Dylan & Cole Sprouse). Asia Argento directs, and stars as Jeremiah's mother Sarah, and to call her the 'mother from hell' would be a huge understatement.

The film brings to mind Sherrybaby with Maggie Gyllenhaal, but Sherry from that film is a 'mother of the year' candidate compared to Sarah. As the movie opens, young Jeremiah is being taken forcibly from what appears to be a loving foster home by his mother, who has somehow managed to regain custody.

It's a mystery why she would actually want her son back, since he seems to seriously cramp her style. That 'style' includes booze, drugs and a never-ending procession of Mr. Wrongs she picks up at various honky-tonks and bars.

I see her as Nancy in search of her Sid. At one point she's actually wearing a t-shirt that says 'Sid Lives'. I'm guessing the only reason she wants her son back is to get revenge on the people who took him from her in the first place.

Whatever her reasons, she does get him back, and immediately begins to poison his mind against his former foster parents so he'll see her as a better alternative! That takes a lot of poisoning, but Sarah is up to the task, and after she's scared him out of his wits he agrees to stay with her.

During the course of the movie, she gives him drugs and tells him it's medicine, dresses him up in women's clothes and make-up and tells him he should've been a girl, and leaves him on his own for a weekend while she goes off to Las Vegas to marry her boyfriend du jour, Emerson, played by Jeremy Renner (Dahmer, 12 and Holding).

Emerson later returns from Vegas alone, Sarah having run off and left him! Of course, he then takes out his frustrations on young Jeremiah, who ends up in the custody of Child Welfare. Sarah eventually returns, but having apparently decided motherhood is not her thing, she delivers Jeremiah to the household of someone she calls Grandma.

It appears to be some kind of religious halfway house for wayward children, presided over with an iron hand by Grandfather (Peter Fonda, exuding menace). After 3 or 4 years, by which time Jeremiah has become a young soldier for Jesus, Sarah returns and takes him on the road with her once again.

And so on, and so on. The movie has style to burn, as Argento shows she inherited some of her famous father's directing talent. She's also completely convincing in the role of Sarah. There's a scene early on where Jeremiah is being beaten with a belt by one of Sarah's boyfriends, while she stands by smirking, that will make you want to get your hands around her throat and squeeze.

The three young actors who play Jeremiah are astonishingly good as well. I just hope appearing in this film hasn't caused them any irreparable emotional damage. The film is hard to watch at times, but it's never boring, and the soundtrack fits in nicely with Sarah's grunge lifestyle.

I'm just not sure exactly what the filmmakers are trying to accomplish. We all know that child abuse is a terrible thing. We don't have to see it graphically portrayed on screen for 90 minutes, do we?