Review of Laurence Anyways (2012) by David H — 10 Dec 2013

I've heard critics say three hours is too far gone in telling a simple love story. They're right. But "Laurence Anyways", the third feature written and directed by 24-year-old Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan, is not a simple love story. It's one fraught with tangles and eruptions and heartbreak. In charting the ten-year relationship of on-again, off-again couple Laurence Alia (Melvil Poupad) and Fred Belair (Suzanne Clément) as both steadily adjust to Laurence's decision to live life as a woman in the decade leading up to Y2K -- and in soundtracking the film with choice cuts from the '90s likes of Depeche Mode, Visage and Craig Armstrong -- Dolan touches on everything from the everyday ecstasies and turmoils of domestic partnership, sexual liberation, ignorance, parenthood and age. Round of applause to Poupad and Clément, who harness the storms raging inside their heads without shutting us out to the raw feelings of passion, uncertainty and regret.

Four stars is I think ultimately what I'm gonna give "Laurence Anyways", if not now then sometime in the near future. It's a big movie, and like all big movies it has its peaks and valleys. Dolan is an incredible talent who very soon is going to more expertly match his heart-on-sleeve ambition with something that's more reined in. Not that "Laurence" is a bait and switch. Under all the flaws and temptation, or maybe even because of them, is a brilliant, beautiful beast. (83/100).