A film about people, just as much as it's about relationships, just as much as it's about a man transitioning into a woman. Laurence Anyways is foremost audacious, and ultimately an epic work of humanist cinema. Riddled with Xavier Dolan's passion for the medium, the film channels its tangible fervour into something that, instead of slipping into flashiness, instead shows that it really gets the difficult waters it's playing in. The film translates heart, hurt and yearning into moving picture like I've rarely seen before – using subtle, impressionistic flourishes; glimpses of the faces of peoples' inner expressions; the catch of a stinging insult in the corner of a character's eye. It's all impressively observed, beautifully acted and makes the experience so wonderfully whole and complete. As the transitioning Laurence's always faithful partner, actress Suzanne Clément is absolutely exquisite. A woman moving from an idyll of puppy-love and satisfaction, into deep, wretched mourning, through finally to self-discovery and liberation: hers is a stunning, heartbreaking performance that is even more impactive upon the film's aftermath than director Dolan. Laurence Anyways is just as much Clément's character's story of loss and recovery as it is about Laurence's transition. And, in writing that, I realise that it's precisely that which allows the film to work so wonderfully well; it's never NOT a shared story between its central characters.
Part of the Queer Film Festival, Powerhouse (finished)
