Un couteau dans le coeur

KNIFE+HEART isn't the first work of art to combine the specter of the AIDS epidemic, the sex positivity of the gay liberation movement (which came to a crashing halt with the emergence of AIDS), and the conventions of horror/thriller/slasher films. In poetry form, Kevin Killian's 1997 ARGENTO SERIES fused the brightly colored blood splatter of SUSPIRIA with the inexplicable death toll of HIV. Probably my favorite of all such works, however, is Alain Guiraudie's 2014 film STRANGER BY THE LAKE, which yearns for the titillation of casual sex even as it constantly exudes the threatening possibilities inherent in such encounters in a way that's truly unsettling.

KNIFE+HEART isn't about AIDS, per se, but it does pile on a nicely textured layer of meanings about the interlocking nature of the sex and the death drive. The violent impulses that underlie S&M fantasies; the death of the ego that makes dance floors, drug trips, and uninhibited sexual encounters equally ecstatic; the orgasmic peak that led English Renaissance poets to use "die" as a metaphoric synonym for "climax"; the "death" of the presumed-straight child that occurs whenever a queer adolescent or adult comes out of the closet and must then sometimes abandon past expectations, past claims to identity, and links to old family and friends; the loss a parent might feel when a child leaves for a safer queer space like the city; the loss of one's individuality when entering into a committed partnership with another person; the godlike control over life and death that lies in both the hands of the artist and the medium of photography, which captures and preserves moments in time; and the literal violence and murder perpetrated against not only queer and trans people but also sex workers in general--KNIFE+HEART is about all of this, I think, and probably a lot more, including things perhaps too personal for a viewer to decipher.

KNIFE+HEART carries a heavy load of theoretical possibilities, but it never comes across as pretentious or overladen. Rather, it's consistently engaging, with campy excesses of giallo bloodshed, a proliferation of cute boys, a pulsing soundtrack by M83, and bits of both levity and realism that make it moving even though it is essentially, like the best of Argento, utterly ridiculous and implausible. It may not have quite the same high style that peak Argento had, but it definitely has a lot more substance.

I really wanted to like this movie, especially based on the reviews, but it just bored me to tears. I just stopped after half way through and read the synopsis to find out what happened. Glad I stopped... completely unoriginal and yawn-inducing.

It started strong. I like how you, as the viewer, were pulled into the film's world. I was hoping that the first death would be the only Argento-style moment. Unfortunately, the tone of the rest just made me feel like I was watching another of the many films I've watched in the past. I wasn't expecting jump scares...just something new or original (somewhat).

I'm usually really forgiving of movies. I don't have superior taste or have high standards. I just want to be entertained and to be told a story. But, I do want something a tad original and fresh. I just didn't feel anything about this was original or fresh. It's bad, in my opinion, when I'd just rather read the synopsis rather than finish.

I usually give movies that are "meh" or "aiight" a 5. If you're at a 4, it means you fell below that to "not the worst, but I don't want to watch again..."

I'm not saying skip it. Just know what you're getting into before you watch. See the other non-spoiler reviews to see if it's your cup. If it sounds too familiar, and you need something new, then just simply move along. There are a ton of movies (especially French movies) that have great stories....horror or otherwise.

Sitges Film Festival Review

Story, Setting, Characters, Mood etc. are all pretty cool on paper. I think the pure script of the movie is pretty awesome. Sadly the version shown at the Sitges Film Festival did not manage to put these elements together as one flowing film. It felt unfinished in many aspects. The heart is at the very right place. But the execution did not do it justice.

Cultural stereotypes abound in this test of patience from France, acted so broadly that it makes the Three Stooges look subtle. Vanessa Paradis is charming in her own way, but she can't carry this poorly-composed dumpster fire, even if it is beautifully-shot and has a gorgeous soundtrack from M83.

Make no mistake: this is a movie more about a failed lesbian love affair than it is anything else, and it's about as enjoyable as watching a series of hate crimes. Which is to say, not at all. It's unforgivably boring, and for a French film and a film dealing with gay pornography as a focus, it's also terrified of actually committing to the topic. There's barely any nudity to speak of, and certainly nothing surprising or even approaching shocking. If you're going to make a lurid horror film about a violent killer in the very sketchy territory of porn production -- especially gay porn -- you have to actually commit to it. Real giallo didn't exactly shy away from nudity or sex and, even if most of the movies weren't much count, they at least could keep an audience engaged with things happening, whether or not they led to a satisfying conclusion.

But speaking as a gay man and someone who has seen quite a lot of both French cinema and gay cinema (not to mention giallo), this was less than mediocre at best and incredibly offensive at worst. All in all, it's boring, and that's one of the worst things something supposed to entertain can be. Inane, pretentious, unhappy, unentertaining, unamusing, and incredibly superficial -- that's this movie. When it's at its lowest, it comes off as a homophobic parade of poorly-written and poorly-realized nonsense. When it's at its best, it relies on visuals and score...which makes the story pointless.

It's a shame, since the same director also did You And The Night, which was a fantastic film. You And The Night worked because it was a fantasy, with a tremendous magic to the thread of its story, and its at-times incoherent quality seemed dreamlike and engaging. It's a much better choice to watch than this turd, and it's also given a soundtrack by the brilliant M83. Watch it instead.

I have a sick sense of humor.

So it wasn't a surprise that during most of the run time for "Heart + Knife" I was laughing my-ass off. The scenario was ridiculous, but I found a lot to relate to here as a gay man, and as a B-Movie, Giallo and cheesy gay art porn lover.

This is good camp. Like an absurd mash up of early Pedro Almodovar, James Bigod, John Waters and Gregg Araki with a little Clair Denis drama for good measure.

For me, it worked. And is one of the better queer films I've seen in a while. It's refreshingly shameless and at times very funny. You wouldn't see a film like this made in the US nowadays!

Actor Nicolas Maury was a standout for me, playing the assistant to troubled porno directress Vanessa Paradis. Every time he appeared he was reliable for a good laugh, especially during the film within a film porno scenes.

So yeah, this isn't heady stuff. It's fromage.

The kind of film that goes well with wine, weed and an open mind. Film snobs and conservatives should leave their badges at the door.