The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

In the 2004 indie drama, "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," written, directed and acted by Asia Argento, a young boy, Jeremiah, is removed from his happy foster home to live with his young unstable biological mother, Sarah. Together they move from place to place, as his mother enjoys a life of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. As years pass, Jeremiah is verbally, physically and sexually abused by whomever his mother is sleeping with at the time, and we begin to see the damage this does to the young boy's psyche.

This story reaches a new level of dysfunction in the family. The disturbing images will replay in your head. The unconventional visual style and perhaps scattered and unique plotline were matched perfectly with an experimental, indie, semi-punk soundtrack that made the film so artistic, though some may find difficult to watch, especially considering the dark subject matter.

A strong preformance by Jimmy Bennett as young Jeremiah kept my eyes glued to the screen. In one scene, Jeremiah wears a blonde wig as Sarah applies make-up on both their faces, and they pose pinup-doll-style in front of the mirror. Moments later, young Jeremiah goes in the other room in his girly get-up to seduce his mother's boyfriend. The scene used mixed shots of mother and son, perhaps because the scene was too risque to be preformed by such a young actor. But it was implied that Jeremiah was the one seducing the grown man. When the man attempts to have sex with Jeremiah, Sarah walks in and, in a raging fit, kicks the boyfriend out and attacks her son. She is both jealous and angry and has no resources nor the mature intellect to handle the situation. Yet, the film allows us to feel the love Jeremiah feels for his mother, Sarah.

How will you feel about watching a mother's desperate need to be with her son one moment, and watching her place him in danger the next? It is this controversy that made it a difficult film for respectful critics to review. Fortunately, I am not a respectful critic, but a film lover, and I loved this film very much.