To make an almost 3-hour long film without losing the audience through the course of these 3 hours is a tough thing to do. Dolan manages to achieve this, and he does so in a variety of ways: Firstly, the narrative remains coherent, realistic and well-thought throughout and never falls into areas of predictability. The movie benefits from terrific performances by its two lead actors as well as an all- rounded cast with some of the most subtle but fine acting seen – in particular, Fred's sister, played by Monia Chokri. The two protagonists create a chemistry on screen that is so unique, so passionate that it makes the audience want to root for this couple. Xavier explores the struggles of that come with being transgender in an otherwise heterosexual couple in a truly honest and non-superficial way, with the dialogues exchanged between the two characters avoiding all clichés that could easily have been included with a topic like this. The film gets to the core of the difficulties and trepidations that a couple like this one may face and how in a normal world, love is often not enough to truly overcome these obstacles. It is ultimately a love story between two humans that truly try to make it work and never really fall out of love but come to the realisation that the obstacles they once thought they could overcome, were too great a factor in their lives to allow them to live happily. Laurence had hopes that this great love they shared would be strong enough to get them through the physicality of same sex marriage. Fred on the other hand, while she may have initially believed the same, as she gets older she realised that she could never fool herself into thinking she could get past it. Finally what truly makes this film so entertaining to watch is the many stylistic elements the director adds, with moments in the film where score and staging much so very well together and give you a goose-bumping feeling as if you've watched a monumental music video – this elegance of music and film combined together is often seen in Dolan's films.
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As a trans woman. Seeing this film made me feel very conflicted. I had high hopes for a film that took trans characters seriously and portrayed them delicately. Sadly, it did anything but.
The first part of the film, when Laurence is pre-transition, is very good at depicting Laurence's inner stress of being perceived as a man, and was very powerful. The problem is that the film never really allows Laurence to transition. The way she is depicted, she remains, as the top review says, "a man who wants to be a woman", never a transgender woman. No real change, physical or psychological, occurs with transitioning, except for minor cosmetic alterations and failed attempts at clothes and makeup. This feeds into the classic trope of the "pathetic transsexual" who is doomed to forever remain a man who fails at womanhood.
Much of the problem lies with the decision to cast a cis male actor as Laurence. Melvile Poupaud does not succeed in portraying a trans woman. No trans woman I know is remotely like this. The lack of realism and sensibility to trans life is especially jarring since Laurence is an intelligent and resourceful character whom would be able to learn to navigate the norms of womanhood. Also, the film moves many years into transition, and even if hormones is mentioned at an early point, they don't seem to have any effect on Laurence except for some supposed breasts.
This type of depiction is dangerous. It feeds into a collective imagination of us as essentially men, which is what makes us susceptible to homophobic violence and lack of access to basic material needs, such as bathrooms and proper healthcare.
ALL THAT BEING SAID, the film is otherwise very good. The cinematography is excellent, the colors, the camera work, the locations, the use of sound and music. Except for Laurence, the acting is great. And the love story, that serves as the main plot of the film, is captivating. All in all, there were many parts of the film I could enjoy and where I felt immersed. And while I felt a deep discomfort with the depiction of Laurence as the film progressed, the early parts of pre- and early transition was relatable and emotional and found resonance with my own trans experiences. -
Laurence Anyways is a Canadian film written in French by Xavier Dolan.
The film is about Laurence and his girlfriend Fred living a life characterized by youthful happiness in the eighties France. Their lives change drastically when Laurence says that he is a transsexual. Fred does not know how to handle the situation, but because she loves Laurence, she chooses to stay with him and try to get it to work. His surroundings feel like they are losing the Laurence they know when he comes out, he loses his job and his mom does not want to meet him. Behind a wall of liberal good nature he will be disowned by his relatives. Somewhere along the way Fred and Laurence separate from each other.
The story takes place over ten years, and during that time so we moved between France and the United States. This moving is very understated in the film, and the film feels in any way authentic and present throughout the story. During these ten years, so meeting and parting Laurence and Fred for the unexpected assistance, and we may view a unique love story.
The film has a running time of over two and a half hours and with such a long time it is easy to get bored. But no, "Laurence Anyways" is a really good standards throughout the movie and I can hardly believe that almost three hours passed when the credits roll by. I sit there, with a sob in his throat and goose bumps on your arm, dumbfounded over the incredibly beautiful film I have just viewed. The film mixes precise accuracy with great seriousness. This creates a comfortable dynamics There are also contrasts between camera postures that make this film so lovable. It goes from standstill almost mechanical Kubrick-inspired angles, hand-held, shaky and easily zoomed in angles. While this creates a dynamic of contrasts that are rarely seen in today's movies. In today's unisex society fits this film perfectly, and Dolan have given all the characters androgynous name.
This Dolan movie you not consumes , you see it, rejoice and enjoy it, you remember it for its accuracy, we love it.
Best actor according to me: Suzanne Clément for the role of Frédérique. -
My review is not gonna be long. It will not contain spoilers, either. I made an account on IMDb only to rate this movie and to write a short review, letting people know my opinion, so hopefully even more people will watch this movie.
The acting, the scenes, the music - everything was for me completely breathtaking. Yes, its a long movie - but it's not just a movie, or one story out of an entire life - it's LIFE, it's several chapters. Of course it's long... it has to be. I, myself, wanted to keep watching when it was over. Because it wasn't over. The story hadn't finished. There was more. This is not a movie to entertain people. This is real life, real characters... no bullshit... Many scenes, changing times, development of the different characters... Love, pain, laughter, sorrow. I enjoyed EVERY bit. I never write reviews on anything - this is my first one I ever made on a movie, book, etc... I just finished watching it, and it had me sitting on my sofa with tears streaming down my face.
Even though this movie is about a man who has the wish to become a woman, and even though the couple's struggle kind of revolves around that, I could identify so much with some of the things they go through together. It doesn't matter whether he is a transvestite or not... It reflects very familiar feelings, and I believe that people who have loved deeply, who have loved hard and fiercely, they will recognize these feelings too. And no matter what, this is a great movie to educate people with potential prejudice against transsexual men or women.
I hope that more people will watch it.
Great performance... left me with a feeling of joy and sadness, all in once. I really, really loved this movie. And I will be watching it again, no doubt...
Thank you for that. -
chris_wing11 February 2013I finally watched Laurence Anyways & was not disappointed. The story had truth dripping from every fiber. I'm just blown away by the whole production. Some visually breathtaking scenes that create absolute magic are just the icing on the cake, top notch all the way. The acting was powerful & spot on, not once did I see the actors and not the characters. I'm not familiar with the director but based off of this movie I'm intrigued to look a little deeper.
Laurence Anyways should be destined to become a cult classic once it finds a wider audience, and not just in the gay/trans-gendered community. Calling it a potential cult classic doesn't do it justice though as it has the values of an Oscar contender in my opinion. If the story sounds in the least but interesting to you, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice to let this one pass you by. It's long at over two and a half hours but doesn't drag, it's one of those movies that you hope will never end.
Is this movie Canadian? The credits would suggest so, if it is it's the best Canadian movie I've ever scene (I'm Canadian & have seen more then a few). Don't let that sound like personal bias as I went in not knowing anything about it's production. If this movie doesn't (or hasn't) won awards then there is no justice in the world of cinema. -
this film is one of the most breathtakingly stunning films i've seen in years. it is remarkable not only in its challenging subject matter, its ability to convey true, raw, complex human emotions and relationships, but also its painfully beautiful cinematography and artistic skill. it puts you inside the heads and minds of its truly human characters, the way it was filmed....amazing. it is one of those films that defies expectations, is multi-dimensional, is funny and heartbreaking...
i was riveted at every single moment, unable to tear my eyes away from the film...i needed to go to the bathroom early on in the movie, and yet sat through two more hours of agonizing bladder suffering because my mind was unwilling to let me tear myself from the screen. and afterwards, my friends and i were all shaking from the film. we couldn't stop talking about it.
watch laurence, anyways. it'll change your life. -
This is a strong, disconcerting, highly unconventional movie that is not easy to review, or to watch. Although it is the story of a transgender experience and how it affects existing relationships, it is much more than that.
The movie is so strong and so complex--and so long--that I'm reluctant to say much more about it, partly because I don't know much else to say about it now. I'll need to watch it at least one more time before I'm ready even to think about doing that. I can say, though, that anyone expecting a love story about attractive and sympathetic characters will be severely disappointed and probably angry.
Anyone expecting a positive account of what it's like to change gender identity will probably be disappointed too. Anyone who needs the orderly development of a story and the relatable characters that are essential in Hollywood movies will be furious after having sat through these nearly three hours of VERY unconventional and challenging movie-making.
Finally, anyone who enjoys picking a movie apart and saying what he or she would do to make it better--eliminate peripheral characters, cut an hour off the movie's length, etc--will have a field day with this one. Unfortunately for them (and for anyone who takes what they say seriously), they will have denied themselves most of what this remarkable movie offers them.
The only way to receive what a movie (or any other work of art) offers is to accept it AS IT IS, on its own terms, WITHOUT trying to analyze it or change it to fit some outside notion ("outside" meaning in YOUR mind, as opposed to the author's) of what it OUGHT to be.
Instead of trying to make this (or any other) movie "better", either make your own movie or let go of your compulsion to control what happens to you as you watch this one. If you don't like the experience, that's fine, but if you really believe you could have done it better, you're a fool. You're impressing (and cheating) nobody but yourself and anybody else who takes you seriously.
But anyone who wants to see the latest work of an extraordinarily gifted and original young artist (Xavier Dolan, who is not yet 25 years old), whose genius is exploding into the world with such power and such speed that even he probably can't explain everything he does--and is willing to let go, to give up control of the experience and see what DOLAN is showing you instead of what you want to see--will be changed by this astonishing movie. -
everydaaay4 December 2012Fist of all, I should tell ya that I never been excited to watch a movie for a really long time; you know that excitement when you watch the trailer over 10 times in a row. yeah, I got excited this much to watch Laurence Anyways. and as a Xavier Dolan's huge fan that makes me know for sure that this movie is gonna be a pure art. and I don't even really care that much about directors. but DAMN! Xavier Dolan is the perfect man. No, I really mean it. he's gorgeous and talented in so many ways. Although all of the films he directs are about homosexuality, but what the heck! sometimes I hesitate to recommend any of his films to people I know cause I fear they might be narrow minded about all of the homosexuality stuff. Personally, I wouldn't mind watching a Xavier Dolan's film everyday and I'd still enjoy it as if it was the first time I watch it. I killed my mother, heartbeats, and now laurence anyways.
Laurence Anyways is almost 3hrs long. I thought I'd be bored. but somehow, something kept me watching. maybe it's wanting to know how the story ends. or maybe it's the great soundtrack, or the scenes that feed your soul visually. I mean really, why bother going to a photo gallery or a concert or whatsoever when you can simply watch Laurence Anyways or any film of Dolan's, and you'll find everything you love combined together beautifully. maybe I'm just exaggerating but that's because I'm this amazed.
At first, I thought Laurence and his girlfriend weren't' good looking enough, but anyone who watches this film will absolutely fall in love with every single character in the film. and somehow you'll find them extremely beautiful because you just feel their passion and stuff.
When I posted on twitter that I'm so excited to watch it. my friend replied saying, "it's a bold movie." well, I don't know how dirty films like the hangover are okay to watch and a masterpiece like this is "bold"! One thing I noticed about Xavier's Dolan films, is that he tries not to show us nude scenes, cause it ain't pretty. nobody wants to see butts or whatsoever, well, maybe perverts want to, but that's not the point. that is to say, even sex scenes are somehow beautiful and amazing, like the sex scene in 'I killed my mother' with all the painting and the sad sex desperate sex scenes in 'heartbeats'. you can clearly understand what Dolan is implying. In Laurence Anyways, Dolan portrays the relationship between Laurence and his girlfriend as a happy couple who are madly in love with each other, before they gradually collapse. What I'm truing to say here is that Dolan never fails at impressing his audience.
The soundtrack was painfully amazing, as always. the film stats with a song by 'fever ray' which made me realize that Dolan is a fan of this band. yeah? you remember the scene in the woods in 'heartbeats'? No? Okay. I swear if I had to steal one thing from Xavie Dolan it'd be his ipod or iphone or whatsoever. the man has an amazing taste in music.
When I done watching this film, I realized that 3 hours weren't enough. I wouldn't mind if it was 10 hours long or a series with a thousand seasons. it's just pure perfection. you know when you watch a perfect film that is so perfect to the extent that you wouldn't mind if it ends after only 5 minutes or in the middle of it because it's so perfect, and whatever the end is it'd still be great and perfect. yeah, Laurence Anyways is one of those films. and I'm still happy and impressed with the ending scene. the song was oh-my-god amazing. it's like it came into my soul and said hi and settled there. I can never get bored watching the ending scene; so simple yet perfect.
And before I forget, I love the almost 5 seconds Xavier appeared in the party scene. yeah keep it up babes.
In short, Laurence Anyways is 3 hours long, BUT, it's 3 hours of love, joy, regrets, tears, emotions, passion, and XAVIER DOLAN'S PERFECTION. Go watch it! and if you watch it and hate it then I'll hate you back.
Thank you -
ericazan8 August 2013First of all: This is Suzanne Clement's film! As far as I know I have never before seen this amazing actress, who turned out to be the gem in this actually quite uneven movie. It's her I remember, and her I tell my friends about.
Being a transsexual woman myself – and author of the acclaimed book "TransActions" - I was curious to see how Xavier Dolan had managed to turn this delicate subject matter into a praised movie – not least since my transsexualism was what eventually caused the breakup from my wife of almost thirty-five years. Undeniably it's a very good movie, and Laurence's pain and anguish brought back memories I could have done without – but there are angles I don't understand.
Having been in & out of the trans world since 1971 I have met numerous transvestites and transsexuals - and I have yet to see a man trying to pose as a woman with his usual male hair-cut; Make-up, a skirt, women's shoes – and male hair. Also – to suddenly go to work as a woman, without having told neither his colleagues nor his totally unprepared pupils. How smart is that? No wonder it didn't really work out.
A couple of the other reviewers mentioned the fact that handsome Melvil Poupaud turned into a not all that convincing woman. At first it bothered me as well, but with this being quite a common situation among transsexuals it actually added a realistic touch to the film. Regrettably this was effectively ruined when a woman interviewer with obvious warmth compliments Laurence on what a beautiful woman he is.
"He"? I guess this is my most substantial objection: Poupaud never managed to convince me that Laurence really is a woman. This is not a matter of looks but something you project, and I have met much more masculine looking trans women who are readily accepted as females at work and in society because this is what they "feel" like.
An amazing example of such projection in a movie is Felicity Huffman's stunning performance as male to female Bree, in Duncan Tucker's Transamerica. Even beautifully dressed as woman, she manages to convince me that behind the clothes she's still biologically a man.
Regrettably I have also met transsexual women like Laurence, who never really stop behaving like men - and who demand to be accepted and loved without even a trace of understanding for the feelings of those around them. My lasting impression is that this might actually be what the film's title hints at.
PS Don't you ever forget: Suzanne Clement is altogether lovely as Laurence's girlfriend Fred! -
gomes-kimberly22 September 2012I will start with the only thing I really want to share;
"Go and see Laurence Anyways, this movie is a masterpiece"
I don't feel it is necessary to write too much about this movie. But the guidelines say I need to write at least 10 lines of text.
So I will add:
* Truly amazing acting
* Every scene is a work of art
* Emotional firework
At the end of the movie, I sat in my chair and realized; I just saw my favorite movie. -
sahnout-p23 December 2013With this film, Xavier Dolan confirms his excellent style. The starring is incredibly well-chosen (distinction for the actress). A photography without mistake, there are numbers of beautiful shots. And too a good soundtrack, that is very eclectic (french's or qubecois's songs, classical's songs as Brahm or Bethoveen, or rock ballads), and first and foremost an original screenplay. In fact, I found the plot very interesting because I don't know film about the transsexualism. For a discovery, we can't dream a better movie.
So, check out his film (Les amours imaginaires, J'ai tué ma mère are too to discover).
A young film maker watch this space. The Quebecois's cinema too. -
chtkhs23 September 2015This is one of the most impressed movies that I've ever seen. This movie is about a couple, Laurence and Fred, who love each other and have been together for long time. One day, Laurence opens his heart to her that he wants to be woman. Fred confuses and thinks about their future. Then, Fred decides she becomes Laurence's best friend and she teaches him how to make up, but they are troubled by prejudices of the society. Also, the mood of this movie and camera-work are fresh. Many colors are used and music invites us into story, so we can't be bored in spite of complex story. The director of this movie, Xavier Dolan, became my favorite one after I watched this movie, and this is the most favorite one of his movies. Therefore, I want everyone to see this. I recommend very much, but you will be tired a little because you are dragged very much.
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sol-19 January 2016Coming out as a transsexual proves challenging for a high school teacher in this French Canadian drama directed by Xavier Dolan and starring Melvil Poupaud. He undergoes predictable trouble at work (though curiously from his colleagues - not his pupils who respect his courage) and ends up losing his job. His parents also expectedly reject him and he has trouble dining in public without someone making some comment about his looks. Not so expected though is Poupaud's long term girlfriend's decision to stick with him throughout his ordeal, and Suzanne Clément is superb as the young lady in question who, despite all doubts, claims to still need his "forearms". Set over a ten year period, the couple's relationship is tested at several points but their connection is absolutely undeniable and there is a potent scene in which they encounter another trans couple who claim that "gender is shallow" and it is "the person" who matters. Truer relationship advice may have never been said, but it is to the film's credit that it is does everything to challenge this, highlighting how difficult is for one to achieve happiness in a world full of societal expectations and heavily drilled norms. At nearly three hours long, the film runs a little long and is never quite as intense at it could be. The extra runtime allows Dolan to experiment with some neat stylistically touches though as things fall on the actors in slow motion to the tune of serene music. This in turn gives the film a dreamlike quality - rather fitting for a film about a human being realising his/her dreams beyond gender stereotyping.
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MeadtheMan23 August 2021There's quite an amazing singular force that propels the film forward, but in my view there are just too many bells and whistles to distract us from going deeper into the psyches of the characters and the heart of the subject matter. These distractions - stylized images and accompanying melodies - make the film feel more like a music video. The borrowed songs/pieces already have a life on its own, so sometimes they feel like an easy way out to build up emotions/expectations. I know overstimulation is sometimes part of the "style", but perhaps Dolan should sometimes trust that the acting, pacing, environment and diegetic sounds alone can carry a scene, pom-poms are not always necessary.
Dolan was very young when he directed this, and the overambition shows. -
Edit: After reading a later review, I felt the need to make an edit. This is not a movie about fully transitioning members of the community. This is a movie about dual spirit people. People who relate to feminine aspects of their spirit as much or more than the masculine, and express it through cultural norms such as clothing and mannerisms. How much towards the feminine or masculine is a very individual thing. Laurence is quite far to the feminine, but not as far as full transition. I find it sad that so often the people in the trans community who fully transition, who should understand the struggles better than anyone, often cant emphasize with the Laurences of the world. It's often expressed ways such as poor dress, makeup, or lack of hormone use. At it's most extreme, shaming the lack of surgery. I mention it below in my initial review. Gay and trans people have made leaps and bounds in the last 20 years while Laurence's group is still as marginalized as ever, even among their own broader community. (End of edit)
This is another gender exploration film that left me conflicted.
This film has some extremely strong and powerful moments. It is at the height of the film making craft. For the most part it straddles the tenuous line between realism the watchers can relate to, but with the strength of acting and directing that breaths life into ordinary people and makes it viewable on a larger scale.
Unfortunately there are several acts where it breaks away from this realism and enters a more Hollywood pandering mode of film making. Some of it I can see why the director included it, because it truly does reflect the experiences of many in this community. But I saw Laurence as having more in common with a different type of mainstream group...not being a part of the more theatrical group. Yes, he comes from the theatre world, poetry and writing worlds, but also from a very practical teaching world. That was his foundation from what I could tell. Maybe Im projecting too much. In any case I list below the places I feel the director could have edited out to make Laurence and his story more relatable:
1) He liked people who were unusual, but he was living a life where the unusual met the status quo. I am specifically talking about the Rose family of friends. I would have related more to this film if Laurence hadn't entered this world. Yes, these people do exist, and they are very much a part of the LGBTQ community, but that wasn't the community Laurence was trying to break into and gain acceptance from. He wanted to break into every day life as a woman.
2) The scenes where Fred enters a party and meets her future husband also feels out of place in this story. This story started with a truly honest feeling for just under the first half of the run time. This breaks that genuine feel and separated me from the story and the character. Maybe the producers or the studio insisted on these scenes so they could include them into a trailer that would draw more people in. Always possible the director had no choice on including these elements
There is one exception where I feel this surreal scene handling was effective and didn't take me away from the powerful acting and directing...the scene where Fred opens Laurence's book of poetry on the couch and is overwhelmed by a tidal wave of water. This conveyed some true emotion.
3) The beginning scenes of Laurence and Fred in the car where they're making out, and she finds the dark chocolate in the glove compartment. This just felt awkward and a bit over pretentious for the characters. But not a major flaw. And honestly, I think I am projecting here. I'm trying to force a bit the people I wish they were rather than how the director sees them. So take this last point with a grain of salt.
But this leads me into the film I wish this film had been. I think the story is very good. The final moments very powerful. The characters reactions very realistic. But this is not the film real people like Laurence need. A film of hope is needed. One that addresses the extreme challenges faced in this community, as this film does very well, but also gives a pillar of strength. We needed a Fred that went through all these emotions, including at brunch where she breaks, but we also need the Fred from the first half of the film who comes to the realization that they could be strong together, and it was possible to be together. Her final knife in Laurence, where she calls his friends on The Isle of Black freaks, was a massive letdown to those who hope everyday for someone as strong as the Fred in the beginning of the film. A Fred that matches the strength of Laurence. A Fred that doesn't lie and cheat out of sadness for her life as it is. In the end, she's as weak a personality as any extra staring at Laurence in a restaurant or bar. Don't mistake weak personality for weak acting. The actress gives an elite performance. It's a shame for those who don't understand French, since the subtitles do not do her actual words and inflections justice.
In the first half, I thought this might be a film that could be used to help pave the way into someone like Laurence revealing to their significant other their Truth. To prepare their significant other of the emotions that might be encountered, and to see through that into a future together. So many other films of this ilk are dated or farces and demean the trans person and turn them into caricatures of embarrassing proportions. Sadly the films missteps and choice of Fred's direction make this another installment in the many films that end with sorrow to dramatic affect. Yes, there is definitely hope for Laurence and Fred as they make that final break and move on with their lives. But as a film that could have offered so much hope to many of a family life, and warnings/lessons of the challenges involved, this film failed those who need that so much. More than 20 years later and people like Laurence are barely an inch ahead in acceptance as the period of the film. Full trans people and gay people have made leaps and bounds in that time. But sadly, even today, Laurence is still very much a marginal personality.
One reviewer below said people should stop complaining about the movie that was made. And I understand their sentiments, but film after film on this subject (the more serious ones) takes the same direction as this one, we are all just hoping for a film that gives the Laurences of the world some hope one day. And the reason for wishing this one could have been that film is because it starts so strong towards being that perfect film that's needed. It's the one that could have potentially come the closest to providing the hope that no movie in this genre is willing to give past the ones that make trans people look like disney characters. So that's to say that this is a wonderful movie with the story that was told, but if it had taken another direction, it could have been the movie of the century to those most directly affected by Laurence's issues. Yes it serves to educate the public on the issues, but there are many movies out there that manage that. There are no serious movies that take this subject matter to a place where the protagonist is supported to the end. There are some dated and ridiculous ones (Just Like a Woman comes to mind), but those aren't good for people like Laurence who don't want to be seen as ridiculous within their family life.
By the way, to the person who in their review said this director mainly makes movies involving homosexuality, this movie is not about homosexuality at all. One of its strongest points.
One main concern I had with this film has nothing to do with the quality of the film. The translation for the subtitles seems extremely poor in parts. They frequently change the meaning completely when a direct translation would have sufficed, and fit better. I'm a little confused by this since it says the director was involved in the translation. Sometimes a direct translation is not appropriate, but in this case direct translations were often much closer to the actual meaning in French, and would have been more poignant. This was especially glaring on some of the poetry translations. A more direct translation would have often been much nicer than the translations they chose. -
lasttimeisaw10 June 2014It is Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan's third feature, after I KILLED MY MOTHER (2009, 7/10) and HEARTBEATS (2010, 5/10), the first one he doesn't hog a leading role for himself. LAURENCE ANYWAYS chronicles a 10 year up-and-down relationship between Laurence Alia (Poupaud), a man with GID (Gender Identity Disorder) and determines to dress up like a woman, and his girlfriend Fred Belair (Clément) from 1989 to the looming millennium.
Scale wise it is Dolan's boldest and most ambitious one (save his two subsequent films TOM AT THE FARM 2013 and MOMMY 2014, which I haven't seen yet), extending around 168 minutes, Dolan strenuously spells out a panorama of struggles of Laurence and Fred, for the former, it is a life-or-death judgement call, without opening up to embrace his true id, life is pointless and meaningless to him; more thoughtfully and unconventionally, the film generously grants maximum space for the latter, to zoom in on Fred's striving for breath and co-existence when her world is equally capsized by the blunt decision made by the man she loves.
As early as the opening introduction of Laurence through onlookers (deceitfully) spontaneous responses till the very end, Laurence and Fred separately exit the barroom with posh slo-motion against the brisk gust, stylistically Dolan comes much more at ease with his ostentatious aesthetic codes, Day-Glo disco, subdued lighting, kitschy ornamentation, pop art, avant-garde tableaux vivant, chic party, campy or crammed locale confinement, highlighted by Les Five Roses, and all aided by a killing mixtape (from Fever Ray, The Cure, Visage to Moderat) to leaven the zeitgeist and propel the storytelling.
It is a pure melodrama, spearheaded by two impressive leading performances by Poupaud and Clément, especially the latter, her explosion which bookends the midway of this drawn-out feature is intensely electrifying and utterly breathtaking. She also impeccably handles the unvoiced implosion of her character, shepherded by hairstylists, costume designers and Dolan's unerring determination to lay bare all the subtlety with abstract symbolism and his own perceptive sensations.
Most of the time, Poupaud conceals his handsome contour under a ridiculous wig, heavy make- up doesn't help either, but nothing can hide Laurence's intrepidity, sensitivity and charm through his less flamboyant but more realistic rendition. Nathalie Baye, plays Laurence's negligent mother, pungently bespeaks both parenting and gender-identity are not innately fitting to anyone.
LAURENCE ANYWAYS is a solid corroboration of Dolan's prowess to explore and conquer a wider scope out of his comfort zone, visually distinct and artistically eclectic, although in any event he needs to be polished up a little bit and get himself out of the self-indulgent pitfall, let me just suppress a dash of jealousy and get ready to rejoice in the wunderkind's another output, hopefully is the much-anticipated TOM AT THE FARM. -
mrmorell2 July 2019Simply stunning, deep and breathtaking, this movie contains all of the best Dolan's trademarks, especially for the use of the cinematography and the soundtrack, and is by far his most complex and ambitious work. It's quite impressive that he wrote and directed this beauty before being 23 years old, and I don't know if he could ever surpass himself in another work because Laurence Anyways still stood up in all of his body of work. Don't miss it.
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fernandalvaradoh6 January 2022¿El amor tiene límites? Parece que no y de verdad que no, lo que sucede es que uno ama a la persona o lo que nos gusta de nuestra persona reflejada en la otra, vaya como brotaba por los ojos el fervor de Fred y la ternura de Laurence, es como los efectos de la droga, Fred era el pico, la euforia y Laurence el valle, la paz que solo se puede alcanzar con la persona amada, como una adicción o vivir con una, los adictos siempre serán adictos pero aprenden a vivir con ello, así Laurence va por la vida.
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CutUncut202111 April 2021After enduring the extended ennui and contrived symmetries of Sorrentino's gutless outing (Youth), I find myself engrossed in this equally stylised exploit from Dolan that eclipses the sterile exuberance of his Italian colleague. When Laurence walks down the halls to teach his class, the camera lingers on the looks of the college denizens, each one secretly wishing they had her balls to claim their petty freedom: her transformation reveals the prison of their conformity. Deep down, outcasts like Laurence are envied by the very people who ostracise them. As Laurence tells her delighted male colleague in the canteen on her first day as a woman: "It's not revolt, it's revolution." Insects pass through phases of complex metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, imago. Just-born foals stand up several minutes after birth; it takes humans months to get on their feet, and years to stop puking and crapping themselves; seventy years later they begin all that again, and can barely walk. Where Sorrentino's actors, brave as may be, were mouthing their lines in Youth, here the acting is taut, layered and some scenes appear ad-libbed, even. Fred's raw outburst at the owner of the trendy "Saturday Brunch" bar reminded me of the cataclysmic once-in-a-lifetime scene of Alice Houri in "La Graine et le Moulet" (2007, Abdellatif Kechiche), which lasts nearly six minutes. Like the Graine, this is cinema at its finest: a story told with immense generosity to the players, and to any audience with ears to hear and eyes to see.
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jethronom1 May 2020A slow movie with predictable timeline.
Am I the only one who felt the camera angles annoying? -
anthonyf9419 September 2019The story of a transsexualism, with all problems due to the acceptance of the changing, to the fight with people way of thinking and especially - this is the most interesting aspect, on a plot level - the acceptance from who was the girlfriend: her oscillating between unconditional love and sexual repulsion is a deep psychological problem.
All these stuff are described in an original way, through what Dolan can show all his filmmaking abilities and his particular aesthetic, made of evident colors, 80s pop music, atmosphere mixed of body pleasure and existentialism evanescence.
Pop and nihilist at the same time, but without rhapsody. -
asen-7537713 April 2020Dolan's latest feature, the French language Laurence Anyways (2nd film of him I have watched) proves this is a filmmaker able to breathe cinematic origination and charm into every frame. Passionately created and perfectly acted movie, but sometimes movie is felt streched..that makes the movie a bit longer than it should be..even though finally it succeeded perfectly. Btw ending is great. Recommended to anyone.
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This is very long boring movie. It is the story of a handsome man slowly turning himself into an ugly woman. About 20% of the footage is watching people frantically smoke tobacco. I have no idea why the director considered this diverting.
The characters are all prone to histrionics and long rambling monologues that make no sense. They are just emoting and over-acting for the camera. The only character I cared at all about is Laurence him/herself, and he is a fruitcake without a drop of common sense.
Nothing much happens. The excitement comes when periodically the characters move to new digs.
There are two spectacular Felliniesque scenes where they hired every good looking actor in Canada, then ploughed the camera through them like a speedboat.
In general, it is indulgent, overdone and way way too long. Perhaps it would make more sense if you knew French, rather than reading the subtitles as I did. -
Red_Identity15 March 2015As I'm writing this, I haven't seen heartbeats, but I still think this is easily his weakest from the other four, and much of it is due to the running time. Had the same story been told in about 90 minutes, the effect would've been greater, but as it is, it seems to involve quite a lot of aimless dialogue and conversations that I just found self-indulgent and not at all very interesting or inherently entertaining. But what's surprising is that when the film works, it works, and the film by the end still manages to have a great emotional impact. For that I still like it, and Suzanne Clement is also a big reason why. She's absolutely incredible here, no doubt should've been nominated for an Oscar under the leading category.