Review of Laurence Anyways (2012) by Matthew S — 17 Jul 2015

No denying that Xavier Dolan presents a unique and bold voice in cinema -- and a voice obtained at a very young age. I held back on ever writing about this film until I had an opportunity to see it again.

Much of the flamboyance, look and overall style from his first major film, "Heartbeats," is here. To his credit, Dolan pursues a much deeper level of humanity via melodrama in "Laurence Anyways." The film is bold and gushes imagery, music, emotions and ideas. It is an ambitious undertaking for a filmmaker this young.

Xavier Dolan beats the odds and the film works. The problem here is that the movie works "despite" Dolan. The actors give such strong performances and the story is exploring aspects that have sadly never been fully explored until only recently.

It is impossible to dismiss "Laurence Anyways" as it signals the arrival of a potentially important filmmaker. The challenge one faces in truly enjoying the movie is that it is all just too much. Never quite surreal, but then never quite grounded enough to fully "swallow" -- this is a world that is only ever half formed. But a half of Dolan's world offers more than many other's full effort. It is a worthy but flawed film.