British director Philip Ridley’s psychological frightener Heartless arrives in U.K. theaters on May 21 and on DVD and Blu-ray disc on May 24, from Lionsgate. Jim Sturgess stars.

The synopsis reads:

The story follows Jamie, a troubled young man with a birthmark on his face, which has left him feeling isolated and fearful, hiding from the world outside. He lives in the East End of London, an area notorious for its violent hooded gangs. According to news reports, the gangs are now wearing demon masks. But, one night, Jamie discovers the terrifying truth: the gangs are not wearing masks. They are real demons. And when Jamie’s mother is killed by them in a brutal attack, he realizes he can no longer hide away. Jamie vows vengeance and turns vigilante. But the world outside is more of a nightmare than he ever imagined. As Jamie himself says:  “I open up the window and madness flies in.

Ridley is a supposed wunderkind who never really lived up to his hype, but whom American actors get a huge boner working for. Heartless marks his return to directing since 1995’s The Passion of Darkly Noon.

During last year’s Frightfest Film Festival, Sturgess said:

I was aware of Philip’s name because of his plays. So I read the screenplay and knew instantly it was exactly what I was looking for. If you are an actor with any degree of success in America you get offered piles of crap. And the reaction of my US agent to Heartless went something along the lines of, ‘You want to play a guy with a what on his face?’ But I never wanted to be a major Hollywood movie star anyway, doing good work is what it’s all about to me. And there was no doubt in my mind Philip’s singular fantasy vision was great work.

The pact Jamie makes with the Master Demon is such a small part of the unique package really. It’s more about the madness of modern society, how difficult living in these times is and the general chaotic structure of life today. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think the current crisis we’re going through is anything but apocalyptic insanity? The pointless wars, the random violence on our streets, the financial meltdowns, Heartless is the story of one boy’s struggle to make sense of it all. While based on a heightened reality, and layered with a frightening sense of unease, there are some incredibly shocking moments in the narrative. Moments I expect the genre audience especially to go, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe he’s doing that’. All you need to say though is that it’s a Philip Ridley film and that explains everything.

Jeez, I wonder how hard it is to get the smell of British cock and balls off your breath. I’m kidding! The flick is probably worth checking out. The whole demons are gang members thing seems cheesy to me, but the trailer looks cool (see below) and I liked Sturgess in 21 and … hmm … well, did I say 21?