L'amour au temps de la guerre civile

I knew this would be a rough and brutal ride as soon as I saw that it was filmed on the streets of Montreal... in the dead of winter. Brilliant choice by the director to film this while the streets are covered with ice and snow is making the plights of the junkies so much harder... The critics who call this "ugly" are incapable of seeing the strange beauty in ugliness and the raw innocence of these apparently jaded individuals who inhabit this world.. Those looking for a linear "story" will be lost with this film, which is more a glimpse into the world of addiction. Much like addiction there is no structure, just "score, get high, get sick, hustle up cash, score, get high, repeat...." The main character of the movie, Alex was someone who, in real life I would have wanted to help, or at least show some much needed "Humanity..." Also this isn't really a "gay themed" film but rather a film about people who lack boundaries, who search out any kind of pleasure that will make them forget the pain and reality of their lives.. The sex is raw, animalistic, desperate and cruel... And that is exactly what a film about addiction should be :if you are getting good vibes or feelings of optimism from a film like this then the movie has failed at its goal to show reality.. As drug movies go "Love In the Time of Civil War" is one of the strongest of its genre, however it still does not reach the nightmarish Hellscape of the Czech masterpiece of drug addiction in the world of male prostitutes, "Mandragora" which is even more harrowing...

I saw this movie about a week ago and it kind of stuck with me. Anyone who has spent time with junkies and crackheads know the furtive endless cycle of obliteration that makes up their lives. But that didn't really matter with this film. I didn't feel like their lives were shameful and I didn't waste any time hoping anyone would get better. What struck me is that there was no judgment at all about the characters or what they were doing. The camera simply followed them around, usually in a very close claustrophobic manner that added a weird edge to each scene. It was usually impossible to figure out what the interior rooms were like, as though everything took place in a couple of corners or against a wall. A lot of the initial scenes took place in a car which conveyed a strong feeling of having no escape or being lost. The sex was unexciting and the drugs were constant. It was almost like watching animals in the wild, tracking their movements and behavior. Really a beautiful film unless you have strong opinions about gays or drug addicts, in which case you might want to watch something else.

Alex is a drug addict who sells his body for the cash to carry on his addiction. His life seems to centre around giving or having pleasure but the periods in between are anything but enchanting. He has a coterie of friends or probably associates who are all equally caught in a seemingly never ending spiral of self destruction. Like holding the tiger's tail – they are destined to never get off.

The film follows their lives and the highs (very few) and the lows (too many) of how they eek out a survival in a Canadian winter. It is hard hitting and graphic with scenes of drug taking and preparation peppered throughout. There is also simulated sex and it is not the stuff that could be classed as 'tasteful'.

This is not an easy watch either and I felt that some of the scenes could have ended sooner, but this was probably an artistic choice by the director to emphasise the emptiness of what the protagonists are actually doing. This is a gay themed film too in that Alex is gay but it is quite universal in the themes it addresses. At 120 minutes and in French this is one for the not so squeamish and for those who like their films to be challenging.

This film mercilessly delivers an authentic depiction of a particular brand of hysteria, a day in day out procession of drug addicted, sex obsessed behaviors. One is confronted with a reality that is very rarely perceived with such shocking plausibility. Before viewing, I had no idea that life could deploy in such a manner. This film opens a door to a subculture terrifying to discover .. this is what really goes on. Hard to witness. Many would rather not know; if only this door had never been opened.

In ancient Greek tragedy the term "catharsis" was used to describe the relief and purification of the spectator, while he experienced and identified with the emotions of the tragic hero on the stage, and identification - according to Aristotle - was supposed to have a healing effect on the emotions of the spectator.

This is exactly my own experience after waching this dark and depressing film, and after being in this hell on earth for 2 hours. It's almost unbearable to watch, but somehow you get a sense of relief.

Most of the scenes are shot in the bleak and wintry streets of Montreal, where the camera is following the protagonist Alex and his fellow addicts in their endless pursuit for new sex clients and drug dealers - or in dark claustrofobic rooms where they minutely prepare the next fix to get a moment's escape from the harsh realities of life. Having sex is another way to escape, but it has become transactional, and all the sex scenes are rough and mechanical, void of tenderness and affection.

Maybe I am being overly optimistic, but I sense a tiny spark of hope in the final scene. Once again the camera is following Alex in his endless pursuit of a fix, but the streets are not empty, they are filled with people, the snow has almost vanished and it is not twilight, but broad daylight.