Laurence Anyways

This is one of the most impressed movies that I've ever seen. This movie is about a couple, Laurence and Fred, who love each other and have been together for long time. One day, Laurence opens his heart to her that he wants to be woman. Fred confuses and thinks about their future. Then, Fred decides she becomes Laurence's best friend and she teaches him how to make up, but they are troubled by prejudices of the society. Also, the mood of this movie and camera-work are fresh. Many colors are used and music invites us into story, so we can't be bored in spite of complex story. The director of this movie, Xavier Dolan, became my favorite one after I watched this movie, and this is the most favorite one of his movies. Therefore, I want everyone to see this. I recommend very much, but you will be tired a little because you are dragged very much.

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.

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.

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.

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.