The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)
Directed by Asia Argento

I recently saw the documentary about Laura Albert (J. T. LeRoy) so that lead to looking at this byproduct of her work.

The movie is “better” than the J. T. LeRoy novel I read called Sarah. It wasn’t just the distasteful content, it was poorly written.  That is saying very little because I thought the novel was junk. I guess the explanation now it that it is a product of Albert digesting her trauma.

This movie is set in a similar lowlife truck stop abusive to children USA hick atmosphere as Sarah. But the thing is, it is a skillfully made movie. Asia Argento, who also stars as bad momma Sarah (this name again) knows how to make a horror movie. Perhaps it is in her genes. It has some nicely done CGI characters, a couple of recurring red birds, it all clips along at a brisk pace, it doesn’t bore the viewer. The kid who plays Jeremiah, her 9 year old son, is convincing. (I kind of wondered what the actor went through emotionally during this production.)
It’s all quite good, such as it is and taken on it’s own terms.
But I just have to ask myself, “Why?”

It’s a harsh little drama of this boy at the mercy of insane drunk, and otherwise drugged crazy abusive mamma. When he is taken away from her, his has to live with his crazy Christian religious fanatic grandparents who train him to preach on the street, beat his teen uncles, and give them all refreshing morning ice baths.

Is there a purpose for telling this story via film other than some sort of hipster attraction to low-life spectacles? Is it just another form of horror movie?
I was recently watching an interview with David Foster Wallace where he talks about moving image mass media and its bias toward sensation and spectacle in one form or another. He also said he didn’t have a TV because he can’t help but look himself even though aware of the inherent insidious attraction of this sort of product.
I guess I watched it for more or less the same reason. At least I still avoid murder, execution, and suicide viral videos in the “News”.