Heartless - DVD

Film: Whenever he leaves the house, Jamie (Jim Sturgess) hides his face under a hood. He doesn't want others to see his face, as it has always been disfigured by an oversized fire mark in the shape of a heart. But recently there's another reason why Jamie is reluctant to venture onto the city streets: he's witnessed a gruesome murder, perpetrated by the members of a brutal youth gang. And Jamie knows their secret: the gang members are real demons. But the young man cannot hide for long. Because when his mother becomes a victim of the demons, Jamie's life takes a drastic turn. He meets the demonic Papa B, with whom he makes a seemingly harmless pact, for which he finally receives redemption from his outsider existence. But he soon has to learn that this has brought him closer to the demons than he might like...

With "Heartless" director Philip Ridley, who achieved cult status in the early 90s with his film "Cry in the Silence", has delivered another minor masterpiece after a nearly 15-year break from directing. Even though "Heartless" has minor dramaturgical flaws and the ending isn't quite as original as the film would have us believe, the horror drama is more than accomplished on its aesthetics, convincing cast and engaging production alone.

Ridley mixes elements from "Faust" with modern urban myths, links the real everyday fears of young people with fantastic set pieces of the horror subject and spices it all up with a moving love story that is far from all the usual kitsch clichés. Packed in a gripping visual language "Heartless" succeeds in captivating the viewer from the first moment to the touching end. The fact that here and there some small lengths creep in and the logic can not always convince, is not really disturbing weight. Because the bottom line is "Heartless" an original, gripping and tightly staged drama that is a real asset to British cinema and contemporary horror film. Recommendable!

Picture + Sound: The technical realization of the DVD can convince primarily by the fact that it captures the atmosphere of the film well and transfers it to the viewer. The picture, shot with digital cameras, is clean and rich in detail, in the many dark scenes, the black levels can convince as well as the overall good matching of the colors. The sound is dominated by the surprisingly smooth soundtrack and dialogue, but also by very well used ambient noise and minor sound effects, which overall leaves a rather unspectacular, but also very dynamic impression. Good!

Extras: The heart of the bonus material is a very informative, optionally with German subtitles audio commentary by director Philip Ridley. Not only does Ridley talk about his film with infectious enthusiasm, he also provides plenty of explanations that can definitely serve as helpful explanatory information for the viewer. Especially when it comes to the last few minutes, Ridley's commentary is very insightful.

The interviews found in the bonus material are also well worth watching, despite their promotional nature. A few brief B-roll shots take a look at the filming of four specific scenes, and then the British movie-going public gets to have their say. Two live music videos of lead actor Jim Sturgess and the trailer round out the good extras.

Conclusion: "Heartless" is a fascinating horror drama that, despite minor flaws, can convince with its atmospheric imagery and good actor performances. The DVD is technically more than neatly implemented and also the bonus material can, even if not rich in mass, at least convince in quality. For lovers of mystery and horror films of a different kind absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp