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Gravitas Ventures presents a film written and directed by Kerem Sanga. No MPAA rating. Running time: 107 minutes. Opens Friday at Emagine Frankfurt and on demand.
Writer-director Kerem Sanga has a knack for delivering arresting, noir-like visuals, especially from medium- and long-shot distance, and the talented cast gamely tries to sell the material, but “The Violent Heart” is so muddled there are times we have to remind ourselves of the connection between certain characters, and the histrionics so over the top we’re hoping everyone will just take a deep breath and CALM THE HECK DOWN.
Our story begins with an extended prologue in which 9-year-old Daniel (Jordan Preston Carter), who idolizes his teenage sister Wendy (Rayven Symone Ferrell), gets on his motorbike and follows Wendy after she sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night, suitcase in hand, to meet up with a man — a man who shoots her in the woods as a horrified Daniel looks on. (We do not see the stranger, but we have the sneaking suspicion he’ll resurface sometime later in the story. Well, it’s not really a suspicion; it’s pretty obvious he WILL resurface.)