Laurence Anyways Reviews

Once again, the thing I enjoyed the most with this movie was to witness the evolution of Xavier Dolan. Indeed, this 3rd directing was even more ambitious than his previous movie (with a duration of almost 3 hours, it is also Nolan’s longest movie so far), even if it was more straightforward than the rather surrealist ‘Les amours imaginaires’. Anyway, the whole thing was basically a fascinating portrayal of a man who has decided he wanted to be a woman. This time, Xavier Dolan took a step back and Melvil Poupaud, in my opinion, one of the most underrated French actors, played the lead and he gave her a great performance. What was also interesting about this movie is that it was not only focusing on this guy/girl’s journey but it was also focusing on the impact on his relationship with the love of his life. This part was quite fascinating as well, Suzanne Clément was also very strong and, with Poupaud, they had some great chemistry together. So, it was definitely a strong drama but I’m afraid it was still missing something to become truly amazing though. Above all, the second half was not as strong as the first part. Indeed, it seems that Dolan didn’t really know anymore what to do with this couple. Should they stay together? Should they split for good? In this process, a 3^rd person was introduced (Charlotte) but she was barely developed and she didn’t have much impact on the whole tale after all. Like when they met this other couple with a transgender man, it might have seemed like a good idea but it didn't work out and felt misguided. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, I thought it was quite a fascinating watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Xavier Dolan’s work.