User reviews

I can't say I "liked" this film, yet I can say it was better than I expected. Actress/Director Asia Argento is both the best and worst thing about this film. As director, she presented a story that had flow and made sense, and made a couple of very good choices as to when to use surrealistic and stunt casting tricks in service of the story. She also got excellent performances out of the cast generally. Except...

as an actress, she kept taking me out of the scene. If your reaction is the same as mine, just tune her acting out and let the story unfold.

I would also say that JT Leroy, writer of the prose on which this film is based, was involved in the production. Via letter, he introduced the film at various film festivals. The claim that this is a true story, that this is "my life" that Leroy makes, tends to inoculate the film from a lot of criticism. How can anybody say "the ending wasn't much of an ending" or "the mom was really over-the-top" if the person who lived the story says the movie is "true". In other words, a movie has to have its own truth, whether the story it tells is true or not. And I guess I think this is "7" because for all it's flaws (Argento's acting, skips in time that leave characters undeveloped, and a general lack of roundness to the characters that really could have been fixed), the movie did seem to find it's own truth.

For that I credit director Argento, young actors Jimmy Bennett, Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse (who knew the Sprouse twins could act? Very well done), sharp (if stereotypical) cameo turns by Peter Fonda, Winona Ryder, & Ornella Muti (whom I took to be Lena Olin). Also props to John Robinson, who played Jeremiah's teenaged uncle -- an underused character in the film. Except I can't say that because this movie is a "true story". See? That's frustrating.

Oh, the content is strong, this is not for kids, and a LOT of adults will need to quit watching at some point. But it is overall worth the effort, if you have a strong stomach and can control your rage at the awfulness of the life depicted.

Downright depressing. I watch films to escape or to see the joyousness of life - basically this is about child abuse. We all know what that is - and the adults who do it are downright ILL. For that reason, this film is brilliant and depicts the mental illness in adults very well - and their inability to connect with their own compassion and understanding. Makes you realise that just because a person can have a child, doesn't mean they are a parent. Throws up the whole notion of family and how damaging it is for some people.

If anything this film could be used to force EVERYONE to take a parenting course and to be observed and examined in the action of parenting.

It was realistic - but sad, depressing and well, if you are in the mood of getting depressed, watch this one.

I was really wanting to see what the kid turned into as an adult. Just another junkie?? It leaves you dissatisfied completely in that respect.

The competition for who had the worst childhood is now definitely over. "The Heart Is Deceitful, Above All Things" is based on the childhood experiences of author JT Leroy, whose childhood basically seems to have been an unending marathon of all the imaginable kinds of child abuse, with a few types of abuse no sane person can contemplate thrown in.

To me, this film is mainly a testament for the ability of children to adapt to just about any kind of circumstances, no matter how horrific of even inhuman they may be. As a former abused child (although the abuse I experienced as a child was nowhere near as horrific as the torment Jeremiah experiences in this film) I can definitely identify with his character. Kids can adapt to any situation, although the scars never fully heal later in life, even if you manage to escape into a better life.

Asia Argento's acting and direction both leave a lot to be desired, but all in all the end result is in definitely on the positive side. I'll look forward to her next film.

J.T. LeRoy or Laura Albert or whoever wrote the collection of stories that created Jeremiah would probably take umbrage with Screenwriter/Director Asia Argento for turning Jeremiah's life of abuse and angst into a biography of Sarah, the mother who gave birth to Jeremiah at age 14 only to relinquish him to foster homes while she lead her life as a truck stop lizard and drug addict. While Asia Argento has impressive credentials as both actress and filmmaker in Italy, her on screen performance in this self-directed film is excessively focused on her and leaves the child of the stories as a mere sidebar.

Much of the story line that ran through the book has been abandoned, probably due to the fact that few child actors could be asked to enact the bizarre and distorted things that Jeremiah did. Gone is the cross-dressing, the prostitution, and much of the other behavioral defects that peppered the pages of the novel. Instead we see a child claimed from a satisfactory foster home by a mother who jumps from one abusive lover to the next, leaving Jeremiah to fend for himself by eating out of garbage cans, living in slums and being at the beck and call of Sarah's consistently disgusting paramours. When Jeremiah is raped by one of Sarah's men he is sent to live with his crazed Bible belt grandparents where he is brainwashed into a zealot along with his cousins. He eventually is 're-rescued' by Sarah and once again the pointless existence presses on. There is no ending as there were/are further books to come.

Asia Argento creates a fairly one-dimensional portrait of Sarah, that of a wasted bit of scum obedient only to her libido and drug needs. Yes, she fled from her parent's religious suffocation, but other than that we have no insight as to her behavior. The boys who portray Jeremiah (Jimmy Bennett, Cole and Dylan Sprouse) are just a bit too scrubbed and proper for the role and again we see little in the way of depth of character as Argento adapted the book. There are very brief bit parts by a number of fine actors (one wonders why they wanted to do this) such as Kip Pardue (as buff as you'll ever see him!), Winona Ryder, Michael Pitt, Peter Fonda, Marilyn Mason, Ben Foster, Jeremy Renner, and Jeremy Sisto but their appearances are strong despite the fleeting seconds in which they inhabit the screen.

The 'form follows function' rule certainly applies here: the story is shot is choppy, rancid colored, disorienting pieces that follow the style of the storytelling. The music is, well, loud and for the most part covers the dialogue (not always a bad thing). This is an 'art film' and one that takes patience to endure, but considering the great hoopla that accompanied the discovery of the 'J.T LeRoy' scandal, it probably merits watching. For this viewer the film should have just been called 'Sarah - a tour de force for Asia Argento'. Incidental information: the opening of the DVD is a multi-actor plea for support for ONE.org, a group of actors speaking out against poverty. It proves to be the most inspiring part of the disc! Grady Harp

So I went in with no expectations, I thought this was an indie film starring Asia Argento and here she might have an opportunity to shine away from her fathers shadow and creepy insistence on nudity.

Immediately I was struck by her similarity to Lily Allen with blonde hair scarily so in fact. I was impressed by her performance but within 10 minutes felt this deep aching you get from films that just aren't nice to watch.

90 minutes of the poor upbringing of a child into a horrific life filled with all the things a child simply shouldn't do/see/experience.

Mixed in are a remarkable number of famous faces including Winona Ryder, Jeremy Sisto, Ben Foster, Marilyn Manson and in a scene that I'm surprised didn't kill his career Jeremy Renner (Deeply unpleasant stuff) Nasty open ended and almost modern day Shakespeare The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is something to watch to put things into perspective if you feel like your life sucks.

Good performances but comparable with cystoscopy for both entertainment and comfort levels. And I mean that literally, I've experienced both and this movie is as fun as having a camera shoved up your urethra.

I watched The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. I had never heard of it and apparently there was a lot of controversy surrounding the book. It seems it was a bit of a James Frey hoax thing but I really did like James Freys book and will be getting this one as soon as I'm not poor anymore, lol.

OK back to the movie...........

There is nothing 'good' in this movie, it was a breath taking, horrific piece of film. It will take a strong constitution to be able to watch it. It's not something that everyone could handle and is a topic I generally avoid like the plague for the sake of my sanity, but I think it should be seen or read by everyone. It's child abuse displayed in some of the most harrowing heartbreaking scenes I have ever watched in a movie.

It's about a child called Jeremiah who was born to his 15 year old mother then fostered as a very young child by a family who loved him as every child needs and deserves to be loved. When he was 7 his mother returned to claim him and we see how fecking brutal some people are when it comes to being parents, in fact she was brutal as a human. I'm sure I will be the only person on the planet who could feel sorry for his mother but I have to admit I did. She was a mental case first and foremost and needed help.

We see Jeremiah being treated in the most awful ways by his mother and his various 'new dads'. She gave her 7 yr old drugs she gave him to her boyfriends, she gave him away again, when she had enough of him, to her absolutely cuckoo religious zealot parents. I couldn't decide if it was worse to be treated the way he was when he was with his mother, with no way of knowing who to blame or if it was worse to be treated horrendously in the name of God.

He spent three years with his grandparents in their cult like lives until his 'mother' decided she wanted him back. We see the return of the cycle of abuse, neglect and tear inducing living that the now 10 year old child has to go through.

There is no feel good factor to this movie. There is no happy ending, no forgiveness and no redemption. There are no epiphanies for any of the abusers and no relief for a child that was born to another damaged child.

I got so fecking angry while watching this and I cried my heart out for the fictional child of the movie but more for the children of the world that live the life Jeremiah did and no one does a fecking thing to save or protect them.

I hate to see children treated like they have no rights, I hate that people actually believe a child has no rights. I hated this film as I was supposed to and I recommend everyone else give themselves the chance to hate it too.

I have a copy of it here and feel like buying enough to give a copy to everyone that I know. I want everyone else to watch it. It is a movie that needs to be talked about for days with someone else. It needs to be discussed, dissected and despised.

Karma. x

Now, i am 15 years old, and i am a huge fan of the Dylan and Cole Sprouse, and Jimmy Bennett, so i wanted to see this movie quite badly. Now, i am saying that because i know that there are many young teenage girls who love these actors and want to see this movie because of them too. This movie was good, it had some amazing points, and beautiful acting by young Jimmy Bennett and the outstanding Dylan and Cole Sprouse. However, i would be careful to the young girls who wish to see this. I am usually not disturbed by movies, but this one really got to me. The graphic things that this kid has gone through can make you really hurt, and is hard to except. This is a really mature movie and i just want to make sure that if you go see this, to be careful. I thought the point of this movie was "a child needs the love of a parent, no matter what they go through". It has a good message and amazing acting, just a little graphic.

The dysfunctional twenty-three years old Sarah (Asia Argento) takes her six years old natural son Jeremiah from the home of his beloved foster parents with the support of the social service to live with her. Along the years, the boy shares her insane and lowlife style and is introduced to booze and drugs and mentally, physically and sexually abused by Sarah, her lovers and her religiously fanatic family.

"The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" has one of the most sad, depressive, cruel and unpleasant story that I have ever seen in a movie. It is realistic and dramatic, showing a North America of losers and perverts, and not the usual land of dreams of most Hollywood movies. Asia Argento is amazing directing, writing the screenplay and acting, in the role of the vulgar and cheap Sarah, honoring the blood and names of her father Dario Argento and her mother Daria Nicolodi. The boys Jimmy Bennett, Dylan and Cole Sprouse have also magnificent interpretations in the role of the suffered Jeremiah. Unfortunately there are users that confuse an unpleasant story with a bad film, writing bad reviews because they did not like the movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Maldito Coração" ("Damned Heart")

Here's a fun one: an hour and a half of harrowing drama charting the physical and mental abuse of a young boy, Jeremiah, at the hands of his neglectful mother (Asia Argento), her white trash lovers, and her religious extremist family. Not exactly a barrel of laughs!

The second film to be directed by Asia Argento, daughter of horror legend Dario, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things isn't concerned with a strong narrative, it's purpose merely to catalogue the atrocities poor Jeremiah endures at the hands of grown-ups, delivering the message that the world can be a messed up place where the innocent and helpless suffer the most.

It's bleak, relentless and, above all, honest film-making, handled with surprising assuredness by Argento, who even manages to throw in some offbeat and surreal touches towards the end in order to illustrate the fragile mental states of Jeremiah and his mother. Some of these did, admittedly, leave me a little perplexed, especially the crying lumps of coal that bled (seriously, this needs to be seen to be believed!), some animated red crows, and Jeremiah being dressed as a girl much to the confusion of Marilyn Manson (and me).

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.

JT Leroy's novels are over-hyped garbage. Its marketing genius at its best, don't take the bait like others have. The novels are actually written by Laura Albert, a forty something hack that has cashed more money this year then in all the rest of her forty odd years combined. The technique is totally fine to do and has been done for hundreds of years to dupe customers into buying MORE books but it will never make a great writer. 'Sarah' was an OK book and the 'Heart is deceitful' is worse. That's my comment on the source material now to the actual film. Asia Argento has picked up a few directing tricks while taking bumps with her Hollywood pals and European auteur friends but this film cant be saved due to the main reason that the novel is just too weak to sustain a feature film. If this film was made by Harmony Korine it might have had some great moments. This hearkens back to John Waters' 'Pink Flamingoes' but with all the interesting parts taking out. See Paul Morrissey's film 'Trash' over this steaming pile of...movies like this just don't survive, the ones who champion around it today will be heralding 'the next' whatever tomorrow. Simply but...awful.

I saw this film yesterday and i was genuinely impressed. I haven't read the source stories so I can't comment on it as an adaptation, but cinematically it's a success. It deals with horrific events without glamour or lust. The more harrowing scenes are not graphic, however I was still shocked. This probably has more to do with my responces to the situations rather than any bloodlust on the directors part. The three child actors who play Jeremiah all give excellent performances, showing his growth from wide-eyed innocent to sexually confused/ing teenager. I think this is Asia Argento's second film, but i felt it to be a mature work(whoever your dad is). Watching I was aware that is was quite segmented, it was also shot and edited like a music video (bleached skies and time lapse galore). The various cameos are good value. I was thoroughly moved by this film and hope it is successful.

Just so you know, New York Magazine has outed JT LeRoy as a 40ish mother living in San Fancisco. The JT in magazines and premieres is an actor hired by this woman, Laura Albert, to impersonate her creation. So please those of you who were hesitant to criticize elements that are missing in the story, don't worry. "Heart" really is fiction! It's interesting that people are hesitant to criticize when they think a story is true. Finding out "author" JT LeRoy was in fact a literary hoax makes this movie very different for me. What could have been a "Basketball Diaries" slice of life is nothing more than an ordinary work of fiction and a rather unbelievable one at that.

I'd been wanting to see this movie ever since I'd heard about it. I didn't manage to catch it at the cinema, it had a very limited release, but wow, it's worth waiting for.

Based on the book by JT Leroy, which is in turn based on his early life, and directed by and starring Asia Argento, this book charts the early years of Jeremiah, a child taken back from his foster parents by his mother, and dragged around from seedy motel to violent relationship and back again. He ends up with his fanatically religious grandparents for a while, which is little better, before being taken away by his mother again.

I was bowled over by the sheer quality of the acting, the direction, the cinematography, everything. It's a shocking, painful film, but it has a strange beauty. I was expecting it to be hard to watch, but the film just flew by. Really worth seeing if you fancy something different.