#TIFF23: “HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDE PERSON” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a teenager — who is really a 68-year-old vampire stuck in a teenage body because vamps age slowly — who has an empathy problem. This problem started at a childhood birthday party when her entire family drank and killed a clown she adored. Now in teenage form, Sasha hasn’t killed a single human. She survives on blood bags from victims of her family.

With the hopes of getting Sasha to finally kill someone, her parents send her to live with her Aunt. But still, Sasha doesn’t want to kill anyone…except herself. That brings her to a depression and suicide meeting where she formally meets Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard). Previously, she observed him standing on the ledge of a building. Coincidentally, this event developed her vampire teeth. Following the meeting, the two hatch a plan for Sasha to kill the consenting meal: Paul. But will she be able to do it?

This delightful deadpan Horror-Comedy delivers an inventive coming-of-age story and a top-notch performance from Montpetit. The Vampire-Romance subgenre has kind of gotten a bad rap and has since been buried. But Director Ariane Louis-Seize has come and resurrected it well.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicide Person reminds us all of the importance of finding someone worth living an eternity for.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicide Person screens at TIFF ’23:

Monday, September 11 at 6:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Tuesday, September 12 at 4 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

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