My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To

A grimly fascinating low-fi debut from writer/director Jonathan Cuartas. The horror here comes less from the amount of bodies and gore on display than it does from that point when family ties begin to choke.
Peter Sobczynski, RogerEbert.com

Through bursts of visceral violence and bloodletting, Cuartas uses horror to bolster the drama. It’s an entire meditative, brooding feature that centers on the question of how far you would go in the name of family. Cuartas captures that in the form of personal sacrifice and ruination, in the most bittersweet and devastating way.
Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

Director Jonathan Cuartas delivers a chilling tale of family, desperation, and blood in his first feature… With a standout performance by Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Gone Girl) and sublime cinematography, Heart Can’t Beat is a fantastic addition to vampiric filmmaking.
Kyle Amato, Boston Hassle

Landing somewhere between intense, realistic family drama and arthouse horror, Jonathan Cuartas’ My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell it To is an oddly moving tale about social isolation, loneliness, and illness.
John Fink, The Film Stage

A visually striking meditation on obligation and complicity.
Lena Wilson, The New York Times