Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person · reception & legacy
2023 · Ariane Louis-Seize
How Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
It premiered quietly in Venice's indie sidebar in 2023 — where it took the top Giornate degli Autori prize — and has since travelled almost entirely on word of mouth, going from festival-circuit curio to a fixture of 'hidden gems you need to watch' lists.
What's debated
The recurring split is whether its deadpan gentleness is the whole point or a dodge — too cozy and quirky for a film about a suicidal teen, or quietly the most humane way anyone's handled that premise.
Its footprint
The title IS the footprint: routinely cited among the all-time great film titles, it does the work of a whole logline, and half its Letterboxd reviews are just people marvelling that a movie called that actually delivers.
Where it stands
A small-but-secure Letterboxd favourite — the Québécois vampire dramedy cinephiles hand each other like a secret, filed next to Let the Right One In and What We Do in the Shadows in the 'sweet vampire' shelf.
Named by the director
Influences Ariane Louis-Seize has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.
- Harold and Maude (1971) — Louis-Seize has said Paul was partly inspired by Harold, and names it as her ideal double-feature partner for the film.
- The Hunger (1983) — Cited by Louis-Seize for treating vampires as complex characters rather than mere bloodthirsty monsters.
- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) — Louis-Seize has called Amirpour's lonely-vampire tale a big inspiration.