The Violent Heart. THE VIOLENT HEART starts off with a 9-year-old boy named Daniel following his 16-year-old sister when she sneaks out of the house. Written and directed by Kerem Sanga, the story reveals itself in layers, unfolding first as a family drama, a meditation on grief, then a youthful romance, a suspense flick, and finally emerging fully formed as an effective thriller that unites each of these strands. No, theres something bigger than the both of them percolating under the surface here, and the full truth of it obvious in parts, butlayered with implications that dont totally reveal themselves until the waning moments is so hard to swallow that most films would surely choke on it. Aaron suggests they visit Wendys grave, and as they stand over the headstone and adorn it with fresh flowers, its clear the family will never stop grieving. It turns into a weekend away. Starring: Jovan AdepoGrace Van PattenLukas Haas. Where Cassie figures out their past have alot of connections that will soon surface. Even Aaron feels the grief of losing a sibling he never met. The Violent Heart. The Violent Heart is unclear on what genre it wants to be. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. 'Missing' Review: Stand-Alone 'Searching' Sequel Takes Gimmick to Bigger (and Dumber) Places Crisis. But what's onscreen feels more like a hushed, emotionally constipated middle-American indie drama, where pretty much everybody is weighed down by the horrors of the past even though they go about their days in clueless innocenceor lie about everything being fine. Powerful Stories About Martin Luther King Jr. Festive Lunar New Year Activities for Kids and Teens, Drama Movies That Tug at the Heartstrings. "The Violent Heart" (a title worthy of a 1950s Technicolor melodrama) had everything it needed to be powerful, even cathartic: an opera with tearful monologues in place of songs. In addition, Jordan Preston Carter briefly appears as the young Daniel who witnesses his sister's murder. Or legitimately consulting with her about a student? 24 Famously Queer and Homoerotic Horror Movies, from 'Psycho' to 'Hellraiser' , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. There are a few scenes of intense violence, including three murders, two of which are bloody and disturbing. When Will 'New Amsterdam' Season 3 Be On Netflix? What part does he play in the story? Directors Kerem Sanga Starring Mary J. Blige, Lukas Haas, Cress Williams Genres Suspense, Drama Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter 'There's Something Wrong with the Children' Review: Murderous Kids Have No Right to Be This Fun A place where we celebrate love and life to its fullest, quite literally. Crack, sploosh, glub glub. Hes reserved in demeanor, seems to keep to himself, and is still haunted by the experience, understandably so. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. 830, This story has been shared 825 times. When deeply buried secrets of their town are revealed, reverberations of the violent past threaten to tear the couple apart. Dont worry, it wont take long. Should you stream or skip the drama-thriller #TheViolentHeart on VOD? Coming Soon, Regal And so Cassie dotes on her dad instead, until one afternoon, she walks in on him having an unscheduled after-class meeting with a woman who isnt her mom. Blige, in her first dramatic film role since Mudbound, once again takes a fairly small part and magnifies its significance so well that it ties the whole movie together. and shuffles into the woods. What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Anyone can read what you share. What are your thoughts on the difficulties that formerly incarcerated individuals face when finding work and trying to turn their lives around? by Ed McDonnell DVD . Early on, Sanga does a fine job of depicting the tentative first steps of Daniel and Cassies relationship in a way that doesnt feel identical to so many other young love stories. For 75 minutes or so, writer/director Kerem Sanga seems to be rooting around for a narrative foothold, but admirably sidestepping melodramatic cliches for the stuff of mundane realism you know, indie-film fodder about character and setting and the disappointments and tragedies we all understand are unavoidable elements of Life on Earth. What Time Will 'Strange World' Be on Disney+? Director Kerem Sanga Writer Kerem Sanga Stars Jovan Adepo Grace Van Patten Lukas Haas 1,160, This story has been shared 1,062 times. Cut to 15 years. Running time: 107 minutes. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Sanga encourages his actors to underplay the rage and suspicion that lingers beneath their interactions, and he instead uses the movies electronic score to build a melancholy, even ominous mood. Writer-director Kerem Sanga at least addresses this concern by having Daniel claim that Cassie is too young, while she proclaims she's an adult. Regal Daniel and Cassies fundamental imbalance in life experience is racially coded. He also has a police record, for beating up a guy in a fight he didnt start. Both romantic leads are as strong as the screenplay allows them to be, which is strong enough to make us care about them, even as the movie falls apart. The Violent Heart is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Kerem Sanga. (Unrated. He's not proud of who he was, but young Trudy encourages him to use those parts. The project, which could bring in 1,500 new residences, is part of a continued push by developers into sites west of downtown, despite signs of caution the market. Cassie is, Nine-year-old Daniel lives in a town outside of Nashville. Douglas Sirk and George Stevens linger in the collective imagination because they knew how to swing for the fences without making audiences cry foul. Plot. They share some secrets and orifices. 7,823, This story has been shared 7,496 times. It's impossible to say an unkind word about the cast, a dazzling ensemble that includesMary J. Blige, who shines as Daniel's mother (in her first movie role since "Mudbound"); Cress Williams as Lee, Daniel'sfather, an Afghanistan veteran who inspires him to the enter the armed forces; andJahi Di'Allo Winston as Daniel's kid brother Aaron, who frets that mom favors big brother over him. It was released on February 19, 2021, by Gravitas Ventures. Summary: Nine-year-old Daniel lives in a town outside of Nashville. Find more movies that help kids build character. It somewhat profoundly depicts the ripple effects of violence via incidents involving Daniel and Aaron; it profoundly undermines this theme by turning the ripples into tidal waves, a metaphor I wield for its improbable defiance of the laws of physics. ", If These Walls Could Sing Charts History Of The Worlds Most Famous Recording Studio, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Sometimes When We Touch' on Paramount+, A Doc That Observes The Rise And Legacy Of The '70s Soft Rock Sound, Depeche Mode 101 Is 80s Synth Pop Postcard And Reality TV Blueprint, Stream It Or Skip It: Qala on Netflix, An Indian Movie That Will Remind You Of Black Swan, Stream It Or Skip It: Strange World on Disney+, an Animated Saga With Grand Visuals, Preachy Themes and Forgettable Characters. There aren't any reviews yet. That result is . It's a sturdy, middle-of-the-road drama with shades of mystery and suspense, strong. What Time Is Miss Universe on Tonight? Going into The Violent Heart, you must understand that the ending is insanely ridiculous. white) suburban setting, and was so popular it was remade (by Sirk) and became a keyinspiration for Todd Haynes' 2005 Sirk tribute"Far from Heaven.". The talented actor Jovan Adepo brings depth and warmth to "The Violent Heart," a pensive melodrama that otherwise never heats up. Families who watch together can discuss everything from race and incarceration to honesty between parents and teens; themes include compassion, empathy, and perseverance. And it's certainly not just because she's female and he's male. The retired center teamed with Gabby Williams of the WNBAs Seattle Storm to beat former Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton and Spanish tennis player David Ferrer in a basketball game on the famed clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier. Lukas Haas plays Cassies father, Joseph, a hipster English teacher at Cassies school who has his daughter in his class, which seems problematic, and has lunch with her every day in the cafeteria, which seems kinda sad for Cassie. Performance Worth Watching: Adepo and Van Patten kindle some warmth between them that couldve blossomed into full-blown chemistry with a better script. Will 'The Kardashians' Return for Season 3 on Hulu? It had its world premiere at the Deauville Film Festival on September 9, 2020. Researchers found that young women who experience heart attacks are more commonly known to have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke compared to men of the same age. We won't share this comment without your permission. Find where to watch movies online now! Directed by Kerem Sanga. By Thom Ernst. Im 18, so she says, and we can sense his trepidation and their mutual attraction in those dots of ellipsis. The killer has never been caught. The Violent Heart (1,126) 6.0 1 h 42 min 2021 X-Ray 18+ Fifteen years after his sister's senseless murder, Daniel finds himself falling for a vivacious high school senior named Cassie. LThe Violent Heart: Drama. Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus, and Mayhem in the USA: Season 1, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 1, Link to Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Link to Golden Tomato Awards: Best Movies & TV of 2022, Link to 10 WTF Horror Movies to Watch if You Loved. This is her shock, which is nothing compared with what Daniel witnessed all those years ago. 'The Kardashians' Season 2 Finale Reveals How North West's Iconic "Stop" Sign Moment Happened, Kim Kardashian Says She Travels "With a Cup in the Backseat of the Car" for "Pee Anxiety" on 'The Kardashians', Every Pete Davidson Moment in 'The Kardashians,' From Showering With Kim to Remembering How She Rejected Him, Where Was HBOs 'The Last of Us' Filmed? To be fair, Sanga introduces the twist early on, depicting fragments of the traumatic event that scars and shapes 9-year-old Daniel (Jordan Preston Carter) for the rest of his life: He adores his older sister Wendy (Rayven Symone Ferrell), who sneaks out one night with a stranger. There were 8 other movies released on the same date, including Nomadland, The Mauritanian and Test Pattern. Gravitas Ventures presents a film written and directed by Kerem Sanga. Billy Bush Felt Something Was Off With Lisa Marie Presley On Golden Globes Red Carpet, Has Fox Renewed 'The Resident'? Imagine an early Bruce Springsteen ballad worked over in afiction writing workshop until the life has been bled out of it. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. more. Together, the couple begins to talk through their pasts, finding unexpected common ground. The writer and director, Kerem Sanga, has created a world for his characters where messy relationships abound. The Daniel/Cassie affair feels utterly inauthentic not because Daniel is Black and Cassie is Caucasian, not because of the age difference, but because the two actors, try as they might, are tepid at best together. Though the movie is being billed as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story, race is not an overt obstacle to their getting together. Straddling that line is Daniels kid brother (Jahi DiAllo Winston), slightly younger than Cassie, though this character feels like a third wheel. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. Her murder remains unsolved. The City allocated $50,000 to support the Gun Violence Prevention Grant Program. When Cassie takes her car in for an oil change and meets Daniel theres instant chemistry. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. On DVD/Blu-ray: April 20, 2021 Drama, Thriller | 1h 47m Synopsis Trailers Cast Reviews The Violent Heart Fifteen years after the murder of his older sister, 24-year-old Daniel (Jovan Adepo) finds himself falling for Cassie (Grace Van Patten), an outgoing high school senior, in this Romeo & Juliet -style thriller set in the American heartland. When the elusive melodrama The Violent Heart begins, Daniel is a child who idolizes his older sister Wendy (Rayven Symone Ferrell). ), Cut to 15 years later, where the 24-year-old Daniel (now played by Jovan Adepo of Watchmen) is working at an oil change/repair shop after having served time for a violent incident when he was in high school. "The Violent Heart" is an American television play broadcast on February 6, 1958, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90. In December 2017, Grace Van Patten and Jovan Adepo joined the cast of the film, with Kerem Sanga directing from a screenplay he wrote, with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Ed McDonnell and Tobey Maguire, who will serve as producers under their 21 Laps Entertainment, 3311 Productions and Material Pictures banners, respectively. But what The Violent Heart aspires to is at odds with what it is capable of achieving.There are some great performances here by Lukas . Be the first to review this title. John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We cant possibly know where their connection will take the two, and that open-endedness is whats best about the movie. Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Largeof RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. Are Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes on 'GMA3' Today, Jan. 18? But he has a criminal record and would need a rarely granted waiver. It announces Van Patten and Adepo as talents to watch, and Sanga as a director of ability just so long as he resists the impulse to write. Director: Kerem Sanga. But he has a criminal record and would need a rarely granted waiver. Its a sturdy, middle-of-the-road drama with shades of mystery and suspense, strong performances, assured direction and seemingly very little space in the current streaming-content traffic jam. Shoulders-up nudity! It stars Jovan Adepo, Grace Van Patten, Lukas Haas, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Cress Williams, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, and Mary J. Blige . Novak, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Drop' on Hulu, an Offbeat Relationship Comedy Led by Anna Konkle, Stream It Or Skip It: To Leslie on VOD, in Which Andrea Riseborough Gives a Riveting Portrayal of a Woman in the Grip of Alcoholism, Netflix Warns Wall Street To Expect Worst Q4 Subscriber Growth Since 2014, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Mayor of Kingstown' Season 2 on Paramount+, Where Jeremy Renner Returns As A Brooding Fixer Between Cop And Criminal, Stream It Or Skip It: Mrs. The Violent Heart is a good movie; one that gets away with several murders even when its characters are gripped by them for decades on end. All rights reserved. Is it a coming-of-age movie? We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. The Violent Heart lies somewhere between a chasm that divides soft-peddled melodrama and Young Adult fiction.It's unlikely director/writer Kerem Sanga intended the story to be categorized as either melodramatic or Young Adult.. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba. The scenes between Daniel and his family are heartbreaking, because it's clear that their family is still grieving the loss of the oldest daughter/sister. This is not to say that its not entertaining in a way, its even more entertaining for being insanely ridiculous. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. streaming The Violent Heart? The movie enters its home stretch just when it finally (and delectably) builds up a proper Sirkian head of steam, en route to an explosion of sorrowful mayhem that channels not just Romeo and Juliet, but Desdemona andOthello. This is not to say that it's not entertaining in a way, it's even more entertaining for being insanely ridiculous. The Violent Heart is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Kerem Sanga. Cassie reveals her age with her naivete and her inability to see how she's actually making Daniel's life harder with her impetuous decision to pursue him. Curious, he follows, spots the car on the side of the road, hears voices Are they happy or distressed? It makes for a successful manipulation of his audiences expectations, even if the overall effect is a movie that feels slightly detached. An only child, she is particularly close to her father, an English teacher at her school. 2,148, This story has been shared 1,449 times. with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. Daniel (Jovan Adepo) peers up from an oil change pit. When a local, 18-year-old high school senior named Cassie (Grace Van Patten) stops in to get the oil changed on her fathers car, what starts off as an awkward, halting friendship eventually blossoms into romance. Always showing the love for mechanical things since a child, Daniel strives to become a mechanical engineer for the marines fifteen years after the mysterious murder of his older sister Wendy. The movie's strengths revolve around Daniel's story arc: his childhood trauma, his desire to join the military and make his father proud, his devotion to his mother (the excellent if underused Mary J. Blige) and 15-year-old brother Aaron (Jahi Di'Allo), who goes to the same high school as Cassie. Fifteen years later, Daniel lives at home with his mom and teen brother Aaron. 7,496, This story has been shared 2,200 times. Its thanks to its most implausible moments that The Violent Heart beats true. Santa is ashamed of his past, pre-Santa life as a Viking who killed countless people with his hammer, Skullcrusher. Sanga doesnt really dwell on any of them, and yet the most textured moments between these characters dig at a one-sided disconnect between Daniels layered trauma and Cassies wide-eyed naivet. And Newsletters Delivered Directly to your Inbox finding unexpected common ground past have alot of connections that soon! Im 18, so she says, and to receive email from Rotten podcast! 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