LAURENCE ANYWAYS written and directed by Xavier Dolan, with Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément and Nathalie Baye. 161 minutes. Subtitled. An Alliance release. Opens Friday (September 21). See times. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
A love relationship goes through wild ups and downs when Laurence (Melvil Poupaud) transitions from male to female and his girlfriend (Suzanne Clément) tries to support her.
Saturating his colour palette and adding magical touches so nature mirrors the story’s powerful emotions, Dolan (J’ai Tué Ma Mère) has made a gorgeous, epic romance that never loses its energy despite the film’s length.
The performances are spectacular, especially Clément’s as a woman who desperately wants to believe she can be part of the gender revolution – she took the best-acting prize in the Un Certain Regard competition at Cannes – and Nathalie Baye’s as Laurence’s deeply conflicted mother.
Winner of TIFF 2012’s best Canadian feature award.