There are some people out there who will think this movie is brilliant. I am not one of them. If I wanted to spend my time watching movies like this, I would be a teacher at a film school, not a critic for a horror/b-movie website. I loathe movies that have absolutely no entertainment value and excuse the fact that there is no story by trying to come off as "artistic". Movies to me are all about story and characters and therefore require dialogue and plot to movie things forward. This movie had absolutely no dialogue which resulted in me having no interest in the plight of the lead character as there were no relationships established between her and other characters or the viewer. I know this is probably supposed to be the point as she is alone in a world filled only with pain and isolation but for me to connect with a character for 90 minutes, there needs to be more than just body language to establish a personality. The technique of no dialogue works in some films such as Jean Rollin's Requiem for a Vampire, but even Rollin knew that after 30 minutes of this, it was time to get the characters talking.

Wendy McColm stars as Suzie, the doe-eyed title character who wanders through the film looking strung-out and bored. As she moves through her days, she encounters a number of abusive characters, strolls the streets, and spends time at her makeshift home on the floor of a textile-warehouse storeroom. This is all that happens and it all seems very boring when nobody is interacting on a personal level but more on an animalistic level. We see only emotions of aggression, fear, desperation, and boredom. Think of it like watching an episode of "Wild Kingdom" featuring lonely humans except that show at least had a narrator telling you what was going on. As the running time slowly progresses, there are numerous shots of a little girl incorporated into the footage and Suzie interacts with her a couple of times. I am not sure if this is supposed to be Suzie as a child or perhaps her little sister. Either way, I didn't care too much.

I do not like to be so hard on this movie but I hate it when I receive a screener that is a major chore to sit though. After I have endured a movie like this, it is even more frustrating having to waste more of my life writing a review about it. As far as I am concerned, this movie is as pretentious as it gets and I do not appreciate being subjected to someone's art film under the guise of an "exploitation double feature". Further to that, I understand the subject matter is grim and I kind of see what director Marsiglia was trying to do but I feel that he got so wrapped up in the no-dialogue gimmick that any power that the film had got away from him because the movie did not make a whole lot of sense. McColm did a good job as Suzie but she didn't have a lot to do other than walk around, look bored, eat cat food, and puke a few times. It is obvious that she is a good actress and I wish she had more of an opportunity to show this.

As I said at the beginning of this review, I am sure there are some people out there that will think I am a simpleton for not understanding the power of this movie but I grew up on movies as a form of entertainment and, as such, want to be entertained. I can appreciate arty directors like David Lynch but I much prefer films that are more straightforward than those that have deep layers of subtext that only few understand. This criticism is not linked solely to Suzie Heartless as there are other indie movies that suffer the same fate where a director is assuming his audience is understanding his or her vision. Maybe I will learn more when I watch the DVD commentary but if the only way I can enjoy a flick is by having it explained to me, it is not something I would recommend to anybody. (Josh Pasnak, 3/8/09)

Directed By: Tony Marsiglia.
Written By: Tony Marsiglia.

Starring: Wendy McColm, Andrea Davis, Philip Hersh, Ivan Crasci.

Picture Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: I found the image to be a little blurry at times which looks like a breakdown in the digital transfer. This is not consistent throughout but is noticeable here and there.

Extras: This is a two-disc set. First up on disc one is a commentary from writer/director Tony Marsiglia and his producer/wife Donna Kane. Watching the movie with the commentary makes it a little more interesting but it did not end up making me appreciate it any more. Marsiglia has a pleasant voice to listen to and offers up a lot of good information about the difficulty in putting the project together but this unfortunately doesn't change the fact that it is not for me. We also get a photo gallery and a deleted scene which I wish had been left in as it is a good scene for McColm where she actually has something to do. She is a good actress and I wish she had been given more.

The second disc contains Marsiglia's first feature entitled Phoenix. Long time indie b-movie fans may recognize this from its video title, Ashes and Flames, when it was released by EI Cinema in the 90's. This movie is also very pretentious and full of imagery and symbolism rather than a straightforward story. Film students will love this but I do not have much good to say about it. I will say that I enjoyed it more than Suzie Heartless as I found it to be much more interesting to watch and the black and white photography is beautiful. It also has some dialogue which is a plus but the minimal plot goes nowhere fast. I found the most fascinating thing about this film to be the director's commentary where Marsiglia reflects on the troubled production and what it cost him both literally and figuratively. He really opens up on this and it is quite dramatic as he recalls a number of painful personal experiences that he was put through during the shoot that quite clearly still haunt him today. The memories of the opening night are devastating and I have to congratulate him for continuing to make films and follow his vision even though they do not appeal to everyone. The extras on this disc also include a short photo gallery and 38 minutes of interviews with stars Aisha Prigann and Sasha DeMarino, auditions, behind the scenes, and test footage.