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Parents' Guide to

Heartless

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Bizarre fantasy mixes graphic horror and romantic longing.

Movie NR 2010 114 minutes
Heartless Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess) has spent his life hiding away due to the large, heart-shaped birthmark that covers half of his face, neck, and arm. Though he knows he can never show her his face, he falls in love with a model, Tia (Clemence Poesy), in his brother's photography studio. One night Jamie sees a gang of thugs starting a fire; one of them appears to be a monster with razor sharp teeth. As the streets begin to seethe with violence, Jamie meets Papa B (Joseph Mawle), a mysterious, supernatural figure who offers Jamie a fresh start, with a new face. In exchange, Jamie must "create some chaos." Unfortunately, his part of the bargain turns out to be murder. Will he risk losing Tia, or is the price for failure even more terrible?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3 ):

Directed by Philip Ridley, HEARTLESS is nothing if not imaginative. It's a visually bizarre update of the deal-with-the-devil "Faust" legend, with a range of amazing, hilarious, terrifying, and romantic images bashing up against one another in an eerily natural way. It could almost be likened to Twilight, but for a more adventurous set.

Jim Sturgess gives an appealing performance as the withdrawn Jamie, who's almost constantly overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of love and horror in the world. Ridley fills out the rest of the movie with great character actors, including Ruth Sheen, Timothy Spall, and a terrific Eddie Marsan as the "weapons man." But despite all of this wonder and sensation, there's something slightly off-putting and distant about the movie; Ridley can't quite connect with his audience the way more passionate "dark fantasy" filmmakers like Terry Gilliam and Guillermo Del Toro can. Even so, Heartless is remarkable in many ways and is worth the effort for older teens and adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's violence. What affect did it have on you? Was it scary? Thrilling? Disturbing? What were the most powerful images?

  • Could Jamie have learned to live with his birthmark, or did he need this harsh lesson about body image?

  • Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to? Does it succeed?

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