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‘Knife+Heart’ is Gritty Giallo with a Queer Twist

Published

5 years ago

March 14, 2019

Knife+Heart aka Un couteau dans le coeur, a horror thriller from director Yann Gonzalez, is a film that will make you squirm, laugh out loud, cover your eyes, and sear images into your head that you’ll never be rid of…and that’s only in the first 15 minutes.

Set in 1979, the film tells the story of Anne (Vanessa Paradis), a lesbian in Paris who directs low-budget gay porn. Her lover, Lois (Kate Moran), who also edits her films, has left her because she can no longer deal with her alcoholism, and as the film opens, it’s clear that Anne will do anything to win Lois back.

When one of her stars is murdered in a particularly gruesome fashion, she, along with her gay best friend and sometime actor Archibald (Nicolas Maury), hatches a plan to win Lois back by creating her greatest film.

How, you ask?

By recreating the murder as only a 1970s French porn director could, of course!

Anne and Archibald Knife+Heart — Anne (Vanessa Paradis) and Archibald (Nicolas Maury) in *Knife+Heart* (Photo via IMDb)

If it sounds ridiculous, that’s because on the surface it is, but Gonzalez, who co-wrote the film along with Cristiano Mangione, never lets the film or its characters stray so far into that territory that he loses the fear factor.

What’s most stunning from Gonzalez and Knife+Heart, however, is the unflinching gaze of the directors lens.

The murders in the film, much like the films that most commonly fall under the heading of giallo, are almost operatic in their scope with enough blood and gore to make Argento and Bava stand up and cheer.

I don’t want to give away too much, but if you imagine the kind of damage one might inflict with a switchblade concealed inside a dildo, you’ll get a taste of what the film has in store for viewers.

Added to this is the fact that the film was actually “filmed” in 35 mm which only serves to bolster its sense of nostalgia. You won’t find clean, HD lines and coloring here. Rather, you’ll see gloriously faded, harshly lit, frenetically stylized reality set to a pulse-pounding score by M83.

Vanessa Paradis Knife+Heart — Vanessa Paradis is stunning as Anne in *Knife+Heart*. (Photo by Elle Herme via IMDB)

For her part, Paradis is brilliant in the role of Anne. Her desperation is palpable and the audience feels for her even when she makes horrible decisions. She unabashedly sets the tone for everyone else in the film with the freedom of her honest, raw performance.

Likewise, the men who play her porn actors attack their roles with abandon. Their scenes together speak to an incredible bond sexually and emotionally, and while Gonzalez never attempts to glorify the world in which they exist, he certainly shows that family comes in all shapes and sizes.

Which brings me to a final point, and a word of advice to my fellow queer audience members.

Knife+Heart, unlike the majority of films we see, is unashamedly, unabashedly queer with not one single straight couple in sight which is where Gonzalez and his crew completely diverge from their giallo forebears.

Knife+Heart Queer — Pierre Emo, Felix Maritaud, and Jeremy Benkemoun in *Knife+Heart* (Photo by Elle Herme via IMDb)

Borrowing elements from films like Cruising–the opening kill is almost a direct homage–he crafted Knife+Heart as an assault to the senses for more than one homophobic straight audience member, I’m certain, but there will also be elements to test the queer audience.

Our community was much different in 1979, more separated, and the focus often fell on sexuality rather than identify. This film reflects that time with a sort of hyper-honesty that will make us squirm for good reason.

It also reminds us of the things that have not changed, and the way that our own internalized homophobia that can rear its ugly head when we are around other members of our community.

It highlights, through exploitation, the often ugly hierarchy of power within the community and the premium we set on perfect bodies, perfect faces, and idealized masculinity and femininity.

In short, it is a film that is as thought-provoking as it is terrifying, as gritty and sexy and raw as it is beautiful. It is a transgressive queer masterpiece that will no doubt anger as many as it thrills.

Knife+Heart has release dates set for March 15, 2019 in New York and March 22, 2019 in Los Angeles with the promise of more screening dates to come. Check out the trailer below!

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News

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

1 hour ago

April 26, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

21 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.