“Laurence Anyways”

At the age of 24, Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan has already written and directed two widely acclaimed feature-length films,  J’ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother) (2009) and Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats) (2010). His third, Laurence Anyways, is an epic, near-three-hour long tear-jerker that tells the story of a relationship between a woman named Frédérique (“Fred”) and Laurence, a transgender woman. The story is both an important and emotional meditation on the darker side of self-discovery, as well as the mark of a young directorial talent only beginning to hit its stride.

Spanning the length of a decade (1989-1999), the film begins with Laurence Alia (Melvil Poupaud), a bright, young literature teacher in Montreal on the cusp of a career as a novelist. Laurence is a force in the academy, loved by his colleagues and students, and deeply in love with his girlfriend, Frédérique Belair (“Fred”), a vivacious, silver-tongued marketing director played masterfully by Suzanne Clément. All seems well. Laurence receives a prestigious award for his writing, and Fred is headed to the States to market a feature-length Hollywood film.

Meanwhile, something is happening to Laurence. He appears withdrawn and distracted. All of this culminates on his 30^th birthday, when he reveals to Fred that he’s been keeping a secret his entire life: He is a woman trapped in a man’s body. He considers himself a “criminal stealing someone else’s life.”

Soon thereafter, Laurence begins hormone therapy. As Laurence transitions, Fred begins to realize that she loves Laurence as a man, and that, to her, biological sex is more than superficial. She’s there for Laurence, guiding her through the stigmatization and awkwardness, even showing her the ropes of femininity (buying her a wig, helping her with makeup, etc). But internally, it’s clear that Fred’s having a hard time reconciling her boyfriend’s life as a woman. Things are complicated further when Fred learns she is pregnant with Laurence’s child, at which point she makes a choice that will alter the course of their lives forever.

Given the dearth of transgender characters in mainstream cinema, it’s important not to underestimate the significance of a film like Laurence Anyways. Given the young age of Xavier Dolan, it’s plausible to consider the film a demarcation point, after which the lives of transgender people may be more visible on the silver screen. But Laurence is captivating for reasons beyond its moral significance, reasons that have more to do with Xavier Dolan’s instincts as a filmmaker.

For one, the film is beautiful. Commentators have noted Dolan’s heavy use of slow-motion in the past, but this time it feels more deliberate. As the film progresses, Dolan’s imagery becomes increasingly hypnotic and dreamlike. The lyrical passages, highly reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick, intensify as the film delves deeper into the couple’s psychology. In one particularly striking sequence, Fred and Laurence walk through a snowed-out Canadian island while clothes fall from the sky. What could this possibly mean? I have no idea, but the image is beautiful, especially when accentuated by the film’s eclectic soundtrack, which juxtaposes contemporary electronic music with classical, perhaps indicative of yet another debt to Kubrick.

Laurence also benefits immensely from its cast. While Melvil Poupaud is the obvious standout here, his gender-bending performance could not have been possible without Suzanne Clément (Fred) and Nathalie Baye (Laurence’s mother). Both women constitute the emotional glue of the film. They love Laurence. They accept her, but they are painfully aware, even sometimes more than Laurence seems to be, of the difficulties she will face. After first learning the news, Laurence’s chain-smoking mother responds, “Are you becoming a woman or an idiot?”

Ultimately, what makes Laurence Anyways worth seeing is the fact that it’s just a very good love story. All of the elements are there: love at first sight, societal obstacles, breakups and reunions, elopements. But on top of that, the film is also thought-provoking, probing the potentially “star-crossed” love between Fred and Laurence. Are the forces thwarting their love external or internal? Why is desire so closely tied to biological sex? Where does it come from, and why can it be so problematic?

Laurence Anyways plays October 5^th and 9^th at the Downer Theatre at 12:30 and 1:00 p.m. respectively. Tickets are $10.00 or available at the door or at mkefilm.org