While a tough critic and a vampire might share some similarities in the eyes of many, making such a comparison was likely not the intention of those involved with creating The Critic. For an actual story about blood-sucking creatures, one would have to look at Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, which is by far one of the most creative iterations of the vampire narrative. Both films screened at this year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Ariane Louis-Seize)
As an avid fan of vampire stories in general, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person was simply a delightful treat from beginning to end. Beaming with creativity and atypical humour, Canadian filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize utilizes vampire folklore to create a coming-of-age tale that’s gushing with charm.
The film starts off with Sasha (Sara Montpetit), a teenage vampire who attracts attention from the rest of her family when her fangs fail to come out as planned. The problem is her inherent empathy towards humans, and inability to overcome this despite her thirst (and need) for human blood. This starts to change when she meets Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a depressed and seemingly suicidal teenage boy who somehow triggers Sasha’s fangs to burst out, at least temporarily.
With a plethora of vampire content in existence, it can be hard to find unique stories exploring these nocturnal creatures. Most recently, What We Do In the Shadows (both the film and television series) explored the idea of vampire cohabitation amongst themselves and with humans, which leans quite heavily on its comedic elements. Louis-Seize also channels the idea of vampiric cohabitation by focusing on a singular family, but evokes more serious undertones, while maintaining an underlying comedic through line. This results in something that feels genuinely original, all while staying within the lane of familiarity when it comes to what we understand about vampires.
The film is astutely metaphorical, and aligns vampirism with one’s search for purpose and identity. Although it never directly hints at sexual orientation or race, Sasha’s decision to not conform to usual vampiric practices in favour of finding her own way of life is almost certainly a wink in that direction. There’s even a scene in the bedroom where she isn’t able to bring out her fangs, and ‘perform’ the act so to speak, which was one of the film’s most ingenuous sequences. Mix this with its commentary on mental health, specifically depression, and the film has layers of depth you can bite into.
Anyone remotely interested in vampire stories should be assured that Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is not just another familiar tale about nocturnal creatures with a thirst for blood. Through a creatively-charged lens, Louis-Seize has welded a sharp stake of a film that is both thoughtful and affectionate. A standout feature debut from a tenacious filmmaker.
The Critic (Anand Tucker)
Seeing the great Ian McKellen headline a film is always cause of celebration, and with The Critic, there’s certainly much to rejoice when it comes to his disarming performance. Along with an intriguing premise and talented ensemble cast, expectations were expectedly high for Anand Tucker’s latest. Unfortunately, the film does fall short of expectations, and despite having some redeeming qualities, is still a big miss given the degree of talent involved.
Adapted from Anthony Quinn’s novel (Curtain Call), the film revolves around an exuberant theatre critic, Jimmy Erksine (McKellen), who has been a staple of one of London’s top newspapers. His oftentimes vulgar and distasteful use of the English language becomes an issue when ownership at the paper changes, and its new owner Mark Strong) is on a mission to renew the company’s mission statement. Things become complicated when Erksine starts scheming with an exasperated stage actress, Nina Land (Arterton), in hopes of devising a mutually beneficial plan to sustain both their careers. There’s also supporting roles played by Lesley Manville, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch and Romola Garai.
The ensemble cast in The Critic is simply a delight, with some of the best performers from the United Kingdom working in the same space. And while much praise will likely go to McKellen’s surprisingly youthful and cynical turn as the film’s villainous central character, Arterton equally dazzles as the hopeful, yet scarred aspiring actress. Portraying a character that we’ve seen time and again in stories like this, Arterton does bring a degree of vitality to her performance that carries unexpected notes of melancholy. She continues to be an underrated gem of a performer, and a film like this should really prove that point.
As a story, The Critic embeds itself into a hostile period of time where homophobia and a general distaste for equality were unfortunately the norm. A lot of tension is created as a result of this, but Tucker isn’t able to fully capitalize on this and the film’s attempts at more serious discourse feels muted. Perhaps part of the messaging gets diluted in the narrative’s emphasis on deception and betrayal amongst its characters, with the film seemingly unable to decide what kind of film it wants to be. The lack of focus works well in some cases, but in this particular instance, results in a disjointed final product with affirming elements that lack cohesion.
Tucker likely hoped to create a film with a thrilling storyline that afforded its characters room to create discourse on some very important issues. But despite having some truly talented performers help him with this task, The Critic is a far cry from the masterpiece it sets out to be. But for many, seeing McKellen on screen is likely still enough to make this trip worthwhile.
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