Laurence Anyways (2013)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

It is Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan's third feature, after I KILLED MY MOTHER (2009, 7/10) and HEARTBEATS (2010, 5/10), the first one he doesn't hog a leading role for himself. LAURENCE ANYWAYS chronicles a 10 year up-and-down relationship between Laurence Alia (Poupaud), a man with GID (Gender Identity Disorder) and determines to dress up like a woman, and his girlfriend Fred Belair (Clément) from 1989 to the looming millennium. Scale wise it is Dolan's boldest and most ambitious one (save his two subsequent films TOM AT THE FARM 2013 and MOMMY 2014, which I haven't seen yet), extending around 168 minutes, Dolan strenuously spells out a panorama of struggles of Laurence and Fred, for the former, it is a life-or-death judgement call, without opening up to embrace his true id, life is pointless and meaningless to him; more thoughtfully and unconventionally, the film generously grants maximum space for the latter, to zoom in on Fred's striving for breath and co-existence when her world is equally capsized by the blunt decision made by the man she loves. As early as the opening introduction of Laurence through onlookers (deceitfully) spontaneous responses till the very end, Laurence and Fred separately exit the barroom with posh slo-motion against the brisk gust, stylistically Dolan comes much more at ease with his ostentatious aesthetic codes, Day-Glo disco, subdued lighting, kitschy ornamentation, pop art, avant-garde tableaux vivant, chic party, campy or crammed locale confinement, highlighted by Les Five Roses, and all aided by a killing mixtape (from Fever Ray, The Cure, Visage to Moderat) to leaven the zeitgeist and propel the storytelling.It is a pure melodrama, spearheaded by two impressive leading performances by Poupaud and Clément, especially the latter, her explosion which bookends the midway of this drawn-out feature is intensely electrifying and utterly breathtaking. She also impeccably handles the unvoiced implosion of her character, shepherded by hairstylists, costume designers and Dolan's unerring determination to lay bare all the subtlety with abstract symbolism and his own perceptive sensations. Most of the time, Poupaud conceals his handsome contour under a ridiculous wig, heavy make- up doesn't help either, but nothing can hide Laurence's intrepidity, sensitivity and charm through his less flamboyant but more realistic rendition. Nathalie Baye, plays Laurence's negligent mother, pungently bespeaks both parenting and gender-identity are not innately fitting to anyone. LAURENCE ANYWAYS is a solid corroboration of Dolan's prowess to explore and conquer a wider scope out of his comfort zone, visually distinct and artistically eclectic, although in any event he needs to be polished up a little bit and get himself out of the self-indulgent pitfall, let me just suppress a dash of jealousy and get ready to rejoice in the wunderkind's another output, hopefully is the much-anticipated TOM AT THE FARM.

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.

This is very long boring movie. It is the story of a handsome man slowly turning himself into an ugly woman. About 20% of the footage is watching people frantically smoke tobacco. I have no idea why the director considered this diverting.The characters are all prone to histrionics and long rambling monologues that make no sense. They are just emoting and over-acting for the camera. The only character I cared at all about is Laurence him/herself, and he is a fruitcake without a drop of common sense.Nothing much happens. The excitement comes when periodically the characters move to new digs.There are two spectacular Felliniesque scenes where they hired every good looking actor in Canada, then ploughed the camera through them like a speedboat.In general, it is indulgent, overdone and way way too long. Perhaps it would make more sense if you knew French, rather than reading the subtitles as I did.

Laurence Anyways is a Canadian film written in French by Xavier Dolan.The film is about Laurence and his girlfriend Fred living a life characterized by youthful happiness in the eighties France. Their lives change drastically when Laurence says that he is a transsexual. Fred does not know how to handle the situation, but because she loves Laurence, she chooses to stay with him and try to get it to work. His surroundings feel like they are losing the Laurence they know when he comes out, he loses his job and his mom does not want to meet him. Behind a wall of liberal good nature he will be disowned by his relatives. Somewhere along the way Fred and Laurence separate from each other. The story takes place over ten years, and during that time so we moved between France and the United States. This moving is very understated in the film, and the film feels in any way authentic and present throughout the story. During these ten years, so meeting and parting Laurence and Fred for the unexpected assistance, and we may view a unique love story.The film has a running time of over two and a half hours and with such a long time it is easy to get bored. But no, "Laurence Anyways" is a really good standards throughout the movie and I can hardly believe that almost three hours passed when the credits roll by. I sit there, with a sob in his throat and goose bumps on your arm, dumbfounded over the incredibly beautiful film I have just viewed. The film mixes precise accuracy with great seriousness. This creates a comfortable dynamics There are also contrasts between camera postures that make this film so lovable. It goes from standstill almost mechanical Kubrick-inspired angles, hand-held, shaky and easily zoomed in angles. While this creates a dynamic of contrasts that are rarely seen in today's movies. In today's unisex society fits this film perfectly, and Dolan have given all the characters androgynous name.This Dolan movie you not consumes , you see it, rejoice and enjoy it, you remember it for its accuracy, we love it.Best actor according to me: Suzanne Clément for the role of Frédérique.