Laurence Anyways

Coming out as a transsexual proves challenging for a high school teacher in this French Canadian drama directed by Xavier Dolan and starring Melvil Poupaud. He undergoes predictable trouble at work (though curiously from his colleagues - not his pupils who respect his courage) and ends up losing his job. His parents also expectedly reject him and he has trouble dining in public without someone making some comment about his looks. Not so expected though is Poupaud's long term girlfriend's decision to stick with him throughout his ordeal, and Suzanne Clément is superb as the young lady in question who, despite all doubts, claims to still need his "forearms". Set over a ten year period, the couple's relationship is tested at several points but their connection is absolutely undeniable and there is a potent scene in which they encounter another trans couple who claim that "gender is shallow" and it is "the person" who matters. Truer relationship advice may have never been said, but it is to the film's credit that it is does everything to challenge this, highlighting how difficult is for one to achieve happiness in a world full of societal expectations and heavily drilled norms. At nearly three hours long, the film runs a little long and is never quite as intense at it could be. The extra runtime allows Dolan to experiment with some neat stylistically touches though as things fall on the actors in slow motion to the tune of serene music. This in turn gives the film a dreamlike quality - rather fitting for a film about a human being realising his/her dreams beyond gender stereotyping.

I finally watched Laurence Anyways & was not disappointed. The story had truth dripping from every fiber. I'm just blown away by the whole production. Some visually breathtaking scenes that create absolute magic are just the icing on the cake, top notch all the way. The acting was powerful & spot on, not once did I see the actors and not the characters. I'm not familiar with the director but based off of this movie I'm intrigued to look a little deeper.

Laurence Anyways should be destined to become a cult classic once it finds a wider audience, and not just in the gay/trans-gendered community. Calling it a potential cult classic doesn't do it justice though as it has the values of an Oscar contender in my opinion. If the story sounds in the least but interesting to you, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice to let this one pass you by. It's long at over two and a half hours but doesn't drag, it's one of those movies that you hope will never end.

Is this movie Canadian? The credits would suggest so, if it is it's the best Canadian movie I've ever scene (I'm Canadian & have seen more then a few). Don't let that sound like personal bias as I went in not knowing anything about it's production. If this movie doesn't (or hasn't) won awards then there is no justice in the world of cinema.

With this film, Xavier Dolan confirms his excellent style. The starring is incredibly well-chosen (distinction for the actress). A photography without mistake, there are numbers of beautiful shots. And too a good soundtrack, that is very eclectic (french's or qubecois's songs, classical's songs as Brahm or Bethoveen, or rock ballads), and first and foremost an original screenplay. In fact, I found the plot very interesting because I don't know film about the transsexualism. For a discovery, we can't dream a better movie.

So, check out his film (Les amours imaginaires, J'ai tué ma mère are too to discover).

A young film maker watch this space. The Quebecois's cinema too.

this film is one of the most breathtakingly stunning films i've seen in years. it is remarkable not only in its challenging subject matter, its ability to convey true, raw, complex human emotions and relationships, but also its painfully beautiful cinematography and artistic skill. it puts you inside the heads and minds of its truly human characters, the way it was filmed....amazing. it is one of those films that defies expectations, is multi-dimensional, is funny and heartbreaking...

i was riveted at every single moment, unable to tear my eyes away from the film...i needed to go to the bathroom early on in the movie, and yet sat through two more hours of agonizing bladder suffering because my mind was unwilling to let me tear myself from the screen. and afterwards, my friends and i were all shaking from the film. we couldn't stop talking about it.

watch laurence, anyways. it'll change your life.

My review is not gonna be long. It will not contain spoilers, either. I made an account on IMDb only to rate this movie and to write a short review, letting people know my opinion, so hopefully even more people will watch this movie.

The acting, the scenes, the music - everything was for me completely breathtaking. Yes, its a long movie - but it's not just a movie, or one story out of an entire life - it's LIFE, it's several chapters. Of course it's long... it has to be. I, myself, wanted to keep watching when it was over. Because it wasn't over. The story hadn't finished. There was more. This is not a movie to entertain people. This is real life, real characters... no bullshit... Many scenes, changing times, development of the different characters... Love, pain, laughter, sorrow. I enjoyed EVERY bit. I never write reviews on anything - this is my first one I ever made on a movie, book, etc... I just finished watching it, and it had me sitting on my sofa with tears streaming down my face.

Even though this movie is about a man who has the wish to become a woman, and even though the couple's struggle kind of revolves around that, I could identify so much with some of the things they go through together. It doesn't matter whether he is a transvestite or not... It reflects very familiar feelings, and I believe that people who have loved deeply, who have loved hard and fiercely, they will recognize these feelings too. And no matter what, this is a great movie to educate people with potential prejudice against transsexual men or women.

I hope that more people will watch it.

Great performance... left me with a feeling of joy and sadness, all in once. I really, really loved this movie. And I will be watching it again, no doubt...

Thank you for that.