Laurence Anyways (2012)

The 10-year relationship of a male-to-female transsexual with her lover.

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writer:

Xavier Dolan

Stars:

Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye

14 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melvil Poupaud	...	Laurence Alia
Suzanne Clément	...	Fred Belair
Nathalie Baye	...	Julienne Alia
Monia Chokri	...	Stéfanie Belair
Susan Almgren	...	La journaliste (as Susie Almgren)
Yves Jacques	...	Michel Lafortune
Sophie Faucher	...	Andrée Belair
Magalie Lépine Blondeau	...	Charlotte (as Magalie Lépine-Blondeau)
Catherine Bégin	...	Mamy Rose
Emmanuel Schwartz	...	Baby Rose
Jacques Lavallée	...	Dada Rose
Perrette Souplex	...	Tatie Rose (as Perette Souplex)
Patricia Tulasne	...	Shookie Rose
David Savard	...	Albert
Monique Spaziani	...	Francine

Storyline

The 10-year relationship of a male-to-female transsexual with her lover.

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Plot Keywords:

sex change | two word title | transsexuality | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [ca] Official site [es]

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

18 July 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Laurence Para Sempre

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lyla Films, MK2 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

168 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Louis Garrel was originally set to play the title role of Laurence but dropped out. Melvil Poupaud signed on to replace him.

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Soundtracks

"Enjoy the Silence"
Performed by Depeche Mode (as Dépêche Mode)

User Reviews

"Epic, imaginative and remarkable..."

Québécois actor, screenwriter and director Xavier Dolan's third feature film which he wrote, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival in 2012, was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in 2012 and is a France-Canada co-production which was shot on locations in Canada, USA and France and produced by producers Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz and Lyse Lafontaine. It tells the story about Laurence Alia, a literature teacher and writer in his mid-30s who lives with his girlfriend Fred in Montreal. Laurence has always and secretly felt like a woman living in a man's body, but when he tells Fred that he is a transsexual and intends to become a woman, she is confronted with a truth that alters her view on him and their relationship.

Distinctly and precisely directed by Québécois filmmaker Xavier Dolan, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from the two main characters viewpoints, draws an involving and multifaceted portrayal of a man's struggle towards becoming a complete person and a woman's struggle to come to terms with the fact that the man she loves isn't the man she thought he was and that he has decided to have a sex-change. While notable for it's colorful milieu depictions, sterling production design by Canadian production designer Anne Pritchard, cinematography by cinematographer Yves Bélanger, fine costume design and editing by Xavier Dolan, make-up, use of colors, use of music and versatile style of filmmaking, this character-driven, narrative-driven and conversational story about identity and being accepted for who one really is, depicts two interrelated studies of character and contains a great score by the Canadian band NOIA.

This romantic, humorous, melodramatic and atmospheric pop-culture drama which is set mostly in Montreal during the late 1980s and 1990s and which affectively evokes it's period, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, quick-witted dialog, various characters, multiple perspectives, the prominent acting performances by French actor Melvil Poupaud, Canadian actress Suzanne Clément and the fine supporting acting performances by French actress Nathalie Baye and Canadian actress Monia Chokri. An epic, imaginative and remarkable love-story which encourages open-mindedness, confirms the vitality and importance of cinema as a visual art form and which gained, among several other awards, the award for Best Canadian Feature at the 37th Toronto Film Festival in 2012.