Here's a fun one: an hour and a half of harrowing drama charting the physical and mental abuse of a young boy, Jeremiah, at the hands of his neglectful mother (Asia Argento), her white trash lovers, and her religious extremist family. Not exactly a barrel of laughs!The second film to be directed by Asia Argento, daughter of horror legend Dario, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things isn't concerned with a strong narrative, it's purpose merely to catalogue the atrocities poor Jeremiah endures at the hands of grown-ups, delivering the message that the world can be a messed up place where the innocent and helpless suffer the most.It's bleak, relentless and, above all, honest film-making, handled with surprising assuredness by Argento, who even manages to throw in some offbeat and surreal touches towards the end in order to illustrate the fragile mental states of Jeremiah and his mother. Some of these did, admittedly, leave me a little perplexed, especially the crying lumps of coal that bled (seriously, this needs to be seen to be believed!), some animated red crows, and Jeremiah being dressed as a girl much to the confusion of Marilyn Manson (and me).

Asia Argento keeps the tradition of her father's fantastically crazy, brutal and experimental films. She knows how to deal with the darkness, the horror of something people wouldn't even dare to talk about. With a cast that really works, Asia Argento brings a truthful film, a brutal film to ponder about three things: Love, lust and loneliness. All with a sprinkle of religious fanaticism, drugs and deeply disturbed minds.Acting is, by all means, what makes this film so strong. All performances are brilliant. The "experimental", almost child-like cinematography is unnerving and spot-on. The music and all the other elements in sound design are equally chilly. The fact that a little boy is involved in the film, makes it more disturbing. Asia Argento (I suppose) played the main role because I guess it wouldn't be easy to ask any other one to do so in America. I hope no American director or writer will even try to do a re-make of this film, because it's pure giallo in the 2000's, and that's a big thing. Sure, it's a hellraiser for many, but it absolutely shines as what it was intended to be. Many people may not like these sort of genre (giallo is a genre in itself) and will be repelled even by the idea of watching it. So don't. But for people who like European films that usually are honest and brutal, well... you won't easily find anything in this era made in the US so giallo :)Thumbs up for Asia... she's always been a great actress (even when she was pretty young, she appeared in some of her dad's films), a great writer and a daring director.

I were in rage and anger so had to bite my tongue to get through to the end of this too overrated movie, the whole concept is blunt and do not get me wrong the acting was "OK". This film will go into the list of the worst films I have seen, and hope it will be the last in this category. The story does not seem to have any solidity to it, and the ideas brought forth are of course very unrealistic. This will most definitely go into the top three of the films that has made me this uneasy. Save yourself some happiness and watch something else unless you are into dark films with no grounding or are planning to get anything from the experience. (I have to get up to ten lines per text for this comment to be accepted so this is the reason for these last few lines, so please do not waste your precious time reading this as it is not supposed to be read. I am only trying to use up my minimum characters because I have nothing else to say about the film.)

On a night that I couldn't sleep, I turned on the television and the title caught my eye. The truth in the title, The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, can lead even a child into curiosity that should not be touched. As a young girl I also grew up in situations, some unbearable, some unspeakable, and almost all unbelievable. I consider myself a survivor, and I have shared my story with many, but some things should only be heard and not seen. This story, though it may be true, will likely cause the young actors that played a true mans part, trouble for years. A child's innocence should never be taken from them. Although I sympathize with J.T. Leroy for the pain and the trauma that he went through, in essence he has just made three young boys, play out his role in what I consider a very disturbing movie. They have now been exposed to the trauma and craziness of his life. Not all children are exposed to these conditions. We as a society have overlooked the rights our children should have to preserve their innocence. We believe that because we have experienced such trauma and been through these unbelievable circumstances, that we should be able to share them as we see fit. This movie may be the outlet that J.T. Leroy chose, but what about the inlet that our young ones have now become a part of? What about the young boys who played this part? What about the young ones, despite a parents warning, that may see this movie? Writing your story, is a much more mature way to share with the world your experiences. Making this movie was a selfish act that if seen by the wrong audience, could cause a traumatic effect. If there is a child out there who is suffering anything similar to the young boy in this movie, they may lose hope on a way out. This may lead to their death. One can only know, if they read the book, that this was inspired by a true story, and that the author actually survived and made it. An adult would most likely seek out a book like this for reading, for understanding. Not a child. What about the movie? There is no happy ending for that child. There is no hope seen. There was nothing good to offer. I wish I could actually find the words right now that my heart wants to say. I am glad that this movie was not released as a major motion picture. I could only imagine the damage it may have caused, if it hasn't already.A concerned SURVIVOR, Sunshine