So I went in with no expectations, I thought this was an indie film starring Asia Argento and here she might have an opportunity to shine away from her fathers shadow and creepy insistence on nudity.

Immediately I was struck by her similarity to Lily Allen with blonde hair scarily so in fact. I was impressed by her performance but within 10 minutes felt this deep aching you get from films that just aren't nice to watch.

90 minutes of the poor upbringing of a child into a horrific life filled with all the things a child simply shouldn't do/see/experience.

Mixed in are a remarkable number of famous faces including Winona Ryder, Jeremy Sisto, Ben Foster, Marilyn Manson and in a scene that I'm surprised didn't kill his career Jeremy Renner (Deeply unpleasant stuff) Nasty open ended and almost modern day Shakespeare The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is something to watch to put things into perspective if you feel like your life sucks.

Good performances but comparable with cystoscopy for both entertainment and comfort levels. And I mean that literally, I've experienced both and this movie is as fun as having a camera shoved up your urethra.

The dysfunctional twenty-three years old Sarah (Asia Argento) takes her six years old natural son Jeremiah from the home of his beloved foster parents with the support of the social service to live with her. Along the years, the boy shares her insane and lowlife style and is introduced to booze and drugs and mentally, physically and sexually abused by Sarah, her lovers and her religiously fanatic family.

"The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" has one of the most sad, depressive, cruel and unpleasant story that I have ever seen in a movie. It is realistic and dramatic, showing a North America of losers and perverts, and not the usual land of dreams of most Hollywood movies. Asia Argento is amazing directing, writing the screenplay and acting, in the role of the vulgar and cheap Sarah, honoring the blood and names of her father Dario Argento and her mother Daria Nicolodi. The boys Jimmy Bennett, Dylan and Cole Sprouse have also magnificent interpretations in the role of the suffered Jeremiah. Unfortunately there are users that confuse an unpleasant story with a bad film, writing bad reviews because they did not like the movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Maldito Coração" ("Damned Heart")

Here's a fun one: an hour and a half of harrowing drama charting the physical and mental abuse of a young boy, Jeremiah, at the hands of his neglectful mother (Asia Argento),her white trash lovers, and her religious extremist family. Not exactly a barrel of laughs!

The second film to be directed by Asia Argento, daughter of horror legend Dario, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things isn't concerned with a strong narrative, it's purpose merely to catalogue the atrocities poor Jeremiah endures at the hands of grown-ups, delivering the message that the world can be a messed up place where the innocent and helpless suffer the most.

It's bleak, relentless and, above all, honest film-making, handled with surprising assuredness by Argento, who even manages to throw in some offbeat and surreal touches towards the end in order to illustrate the fragile mental states of Jeremiah and his mother. Some of these did, admittedly, leave me a little perplexed, especially the crying lumps of coal that bled (seriously, this needs to be seen to be believed!),some animated red crows, and Jeremiah being dressed as a girl much to the confusion of Marilyn Manson (and me).