Review of Crazy (2000) by Christopher M — 03 Apr 2008

This story of a teen struggling with his homosexuality during The Age of Aquarius is one of the few (and I mean few) actual good examples of gay cinema. I think that what makes the movie so easily accessible to everyone is how the film is structured. Normally, a straight guy has a hard time taking a movie about homosexuals seriously. So what does director Jean-Marc Vallee do? Create a film that is quasi-fantasy so that nobody is supposed to take it too seriously, and then surrounds the main character with an entire family of straight men. Now the film becomes an ensemble piece about family, and anyone can find a character to relate with. The film is, of course, mainly about a homosexual, but all of a sudden it is no longer targeted mainly at gay people, but indeed could be aimed towards almost any demographic. This is a stroke of genius, because normally gay cinema is preaching to the choir; now we have a film which straight people can watch too, and maybe even learn something from it. Even for straight people who aren't homophobic, the film thrusts the audience headfirst into the life of a gay teen struggling with his identity, and completely captures all of the emotions as they come in stages: naivete, fear, denial, confusion, anger, depression, escape mechanisms, and acceptance.

C.R.A.Z.Y., like the title suggests, is whimsical, and much of it takes place in the imagination of Zach, the main character. This way, we see life through his eyes, where life never needs to make sense. While we see his old-fashioned father and Zach's four brothers (the nerd, the deliquent, the jock, the brat) all trying - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not - to stop Zach from being himself, his mother continues to push him forwards in a way that only the best of mothers know how. She is the only person to show Zach any form of love, and this greatly demonstrates how sometimes one person is all you need; without his mother, Zach would have nobody.

From the suburbs of Montreal, to the gay scene in Jerusalem (where Zach goes to find Jesus, and instead winds up sleeping with a man who looks like Jesus); from life at its ugliest to the wildest depths of the imagination, C.R.A.Z.Y. cannot possibly be watched and not leave some form of impression on its viewers. This is due to the brilliant screenplay, the playful and intimate direction, the fantastic soundtrack (Pink Floyd! David Bowie! Jefferson Airplane!), and wonderful performances from the entire cast (although I need to point out Michel Cote as the torn dad, Marc-Andre Grondin whose internal struggle is captured in each and every scene, and Danielle Proulx who I just cannot say enough good things about because she may very well play the best mother in film history).

This is among the finest films to ever come out of Canada, and is a perfect showcase for some of the best talent our nation has to offer.