The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)

Director:

Asia Argento

Writers:

Asia Argento (screenplay)
J.T. LeRoy (short stories)

Release Date:

19 tammikuu 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Behind the greatest hoax of our time is the heartbreaking story that started it all.

Plot:

Seven year old Jeremiah is pulled from his foster home and thrown into a troubled life on the road with his teenage mother, Sarah.

Plot Keywords:

Boy Dressed As Girl | Sex | Grandfather | Psychologist | Policeman

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Asia Argento	...	Sarah
Jimmy Bennett	...	Young Jeremiah
Kara Kemp	...	Social Worker #1
Brent Almond	...	Cop #1
David Dwyer	...	Cop #2
Kip Pardue	...	Luther
Jeremy Renner	...	Emerson
David Brian Alley	...	Doctor (as David Alley)
Lydia Lunch	...	Social Worker #2
Ornella Muti	...	Grandmother
Dylan Sprouse	...	Older Jeremiah
Cole Sprouse	...	Older Jeremiah
Peter Fonda	...	Grandfather
John Robinson	...	Aaron
Lindy Maguire	...	Girl

Also Known As:

Le livre de Jérémie (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for intense depiction of child abuse/neglect, strong sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime:

98 min | USA:97 min | Argentina:97 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA | UK | France | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | France:-16 | Canada:18A | Australia:R (2007) | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Above All Things Inc.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Chester stumbles out of the meth lab after the explosion, he is obviously severely burnt as evidenced by his face. Yet the white embroidery on his black leather vest is undamaged in any way.

Quotes:

Older Jeremiah: [after being caught by Sarah, eating food in a dumpster she says was poison] But... but I don't wanna die.
Sarah: You ate poison! You ate poison!
Older Jeremiah: If I die, who will watch the walls?
Sarah: You think I need you? You've done nothing but ruin everything for me. I was fine on my own until you came along. I sacrificed everything for you.

Movie Connections:

References Santa sangre (1989)

High praise for the performances.

But the strong performances all around and the great settings really made an impression on me. I thought the editing was exceptionally done. One thing that did bother me was the lighting there was almost a pallor over the film, like it was from the 1970s. Was that the projector or did everyone else notice that? I would recommend this film. I enjoyed the cameos by Peter Fonda, Marilyn Manson and Winona Ryder. The real reason I went to see this is because I've always loved Leroy's short stories and this movie was a somewhat faithful blending of his literary vision and his overall message to his readers. Life is complicated and the choices we make aren't guaranteed to get us anything.