It's Only the End of the World (2016)

Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), a terminally ill writer, returns home after a long absence to tell his family that he is dying.

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writers:

Xavier Dolan (screenplay by), Jean-Luc Lagarce (based on play by)

Stars:

Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux

13 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nathalie Baye	...	La mère
Vincent Cassel	...	Antoine
Marion Cotillard	...	Catherine
Léa Seydoux	...	Suzanne
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Louis
Antoine DesRochers	...	Pierre Jolicoeur (as Antoine Desrochers)
William Boyce Blanchette	...	Louis (15 ans)
Sasha Samar	...	Chauffeur de taxi
Arthur Couillard	...	Petit garçon - avion
Patricia Tulasne	...	Hôtesse
Emile Rondeau	...	Louis (5-6 ans)
Théodore Pellerin	...	Antoine (16-22 ans)
Jenyane Provencher	...	Jeune fille - trampoline

Storyline

After 12 years of absence, Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), a writer, goes back to his hometown, planning on announcing his upcoming death to his family. As resentment soon rewrites the course of the afternoon, fits and feuds unfold, fuelled by loneliness and doubt, while all attempts of empathy are sabotaged by people's incapacity to listen and love.

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Plot Keywords:

illness | returning home | incommunicability | gay lead character | childhood memory | 

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Taglines:

Sublime!

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Xavier Dolan's fifth collaboration with cinematographer André Turpin. The previous were Indochine: College Boy (2013), Tom at the Farm (2013), Mommy (2014) and Adele: Hello (2015).

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Quotes

Louis-Jean Knipper: There I was, after 10 years, well, 12, to be precise. So after 12 years of absence and in spite of my fear, I was going to visit them. In life there a number of motivations that are no one's business, that force you to leave without looking back. And there are just as many motivations that force you to return. So after all those years, I decided to retrace my steps. Take the journey... to announce my death. Announce it in person, and try to give the others and myself one last time, the illusion...

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Connections

Referenced in We Look Good in Death (2019)

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Soundtracks

Genesis
Written by Grimes (as Claire Élise Boucher)
Performed by Grimes
Published by KOBALT Songs for Grimes Creative Production
Authorized by Beggars Group Media

User Reviews

You need to look more closely & listen to what's NOT said

b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t! I saw this movie at TIFF on Sept. 17 and it was the first Dolan film I've seen. It deserves the award it received at Cannes! Despite all the shouting and intensity, this film conveys with subtlety, suggestive dialogue and glances, the range of emotions felt by different members of a family when there has been an unexplained loss of another family member. Even though the main character, Louis, is still alive and returns to the family, they react as if he has returned from an unexpected death. They range from guilt, rage, idealization, and denial.The close-up filming style also reveals each family member's pain in intimate detail. Dolan is brilliant in his interpretation of that family's deep pain and Louis's coming to terms with not only his own impending death but the "death" the family already has had to deal with when he went away the first time.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [UK]

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

30 June 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

It's Only the End of the World

Filming Locations:

Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,400,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,231,823

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sons of Manual, MK2 Productions, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1