The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
A child is pulled from a loving foster home into his mother's chaotic world, where abuse and neglect become the defining forces of his upbringing.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- harrowing
- disturbing
- bleak
- serious viewing
- social issue film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film technically confrontational but ultimately an exploitative and purposeless parade of sordid imagery.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jeremiah is moved through Sarah's relationships and family life while being subjected to recurring physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
The film foregrounds prostitution, drugs, religious fanaticism, assault, and domestic degradation in a parade of disturbing episodes.
Six-year-old Jeremiah is removed from his foster home and exposed to alcohol, drugs, abusive adults, and unstable living conditions.
The plot follows Jeremiah and Sarah across years and changing households, emphasizing recurring episodes of abuse and displacement.
Films like The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, and why
Precious
shared harrowing family dysfunction, child endangerment, and unflinching social realism
The War Zone
shared abusive parent-child relationship, bleak domestic drama, and psychological intensity
Mysterious Skin
shared childhood trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics, and confrontational independent filmmaking
Bastard Out of Carolina
shared disturbing coming-of-age narrative, abuse depicted, and bleak emotional register
Movie Details
- Director
- Asia Argento
- Release Date
- 2004-09-15
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (163)
Cast
- Asia Argento
- Jimmy Bennett
- Jeremy Renner
- Winona Ryder
- Ornella Muti
- Peter Fonda
- Dylan Sprouse
- Kara Kemp
- Cole Sprouse
- Kip Pardue
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things about?
- A child is pulled from a loving foster home into his mother's chaotic world, where abuse and neglect become the defining forces of his upbringing.
- What is The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things?
- Critics broadly found the film technically confrontational but ultimately an exploitative and purposeless parade of sordid imagery.
- Which films are like The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things?
- Films with a similar feel include Precious, The War Zone, Mysterious Skin, and Bastard Out of Carolina.
- How long is The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things?
- The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things?
- In United States, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
