Heartless (February 17th at the Cleveland Cinematheque)

[HEARTLESS screens Thursday February 17th at 9:15 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Jamie (Jim Sturgess) is a shy photographer with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face. He still lives with his mother (Ruth Sheen), and both of them dream of a future where Jamie finds love and raises a family. Jamie's dream involves Tia (Clémence Poésy ), a model he saw working with another photographer at his studio, but Jamie knows that a dream is all it will ever be.

The neighborhood where Jamie lives has been experiencing a rash of gang violence, perpetrated by youths dressed in black hoodies and frightening masks. At least that's one theory. Others, including Jamie, aren't so sure the attackers are wearing masks. Perhaps they're demons?

That seems to be the case when the mysterious Papa B (Joseph Mawle) offers Jamie a deal with the Devil. All he has to do is help spread a little chaos in the world, just a little light vandalism. In return, Papa B. will remove Jamie's birthmark. Maybe then he can pursue the girl of his dreams with confidence. Of course, we all know deals with the Devil tend to have unexpected consequences for those who make them, and Jamie's case is no exception.

Although labeled a horror film, this is not the sort of movie where things are jumping out of the darkness to startle the audience. This film is the stuff of nightmares; primal, disturbing, and illogical. The basic plot is far from original, being more or less a male version of REPULSION. But hey, using that Polanski classic as inspiration worked out pretty nicely for BLACK SWAN, even if I thought it was silly and over-rated. Writer/director Phillip Ridley's (THE REFLECTING SKIN) take on similar material is a more subtle, serious-minded, and mature one than Aronofsky's. It's also every bit as visually striking, and without Aronofsky's tendency to hit the audience over the head. It's still familiar territory we're traveling here, but Ridley finds fresh ways of showing it to us. 3 out of 4 stars.