"Juste la fin du monde" or "It's Only the End of the World" is a co-production between France and Canada in the French language. The director here is Canadian filmmaking prodigy Xavier Dolan and it is his newest work. it is probably also the film with the most big names in the cast by him, such as Oscar winner Cotillard, Bond girl Seydoux and Ulliel, Cassel and Baye also have their fare share of Hollywood productions in their bodies of work already. So it is maybe a bit surprising that this film was not received as well as most of Dolan's other works. Or maybe it is not because it frequently doesn't work out when it actually should. Then again, I myself enjoyed these slightly over 90 minutes for the most part. It is the story of what happens when a terminally ill young man comes back to his family and has the intention to tell them about his disease. However, they are more than busy with their very own struggles and conflicts they have with themselves and each other.
I personally really like Cassel, Seydoux and Cotillard, so I was looking forward to this film. Given my personal bias there, it's probably a bit underwhelming that I would say it was just a good movie. Baye was fine too, but Ulliel didn't do too much for me. The only scene/moment I quite liked with him is when we see him wink at his brother in the "Dragostea din tei" scene. This is also somewhat only scene when the family is in something that can be considered close to a state of harmony and I think this was among the best scenes of the entire movie. It was nice to see the two characters dance so enthusiastically and carelessly before it all went back to drama and destroyed idyll afterward very quickly. I also liked the flashback scene there, certainly more than the one later. The best friend story line, also with the death, felt a bit rushed in and it did not have any real emotional impact as a consequence in my opinion. Cassel probably gives the loudest performance of the movie, but I think he was a good choice for the character. Cotillard gives the most quiet performance and she was convincing too.
I think some people may have a problem with this movie because it is really almost always the same from start to finish. The scenes with all five together always result in arguments, tears and screaming and the big final scene is no exception to that and it includes really nothing too different that what we saw before. But to me it wasn't a problem at all, not just because I like the actors, but also because it felt pretty authentic. The tension rises, but why would entirely new things happen. I also think it felt accurate that the protagonist kept silent eventually about his illness. Favorite performance is difficult for me to pick as I really liked everybody except Ulliel. However, I must say that Léa Seydoux looks so stunning right now and is still so extremely desirable, even if she plays a pretty wrecked character. The tattoos sure help matters as well, also due to personal preference. Shame the camera became blurry when she is topless. What a waste. I personally would say that the core plot theme about one character dying also could have left out and it really would not have made too much of a difference, at least for me. Maybe people who won't like the cast as much as I do will not enjoy this one as much, but I think those who like at least one cast member a lot here should check this one out. Finally, the Moby song at the end is a good song, but it did not work half as well in the context like the aforementioned "Dragostea din tei". Overall, the good outweighs the bad and this film is worth watching, especially for the really tense final conflict scene. Another strong addition to Dolan's body of work. And I also like films like this one here where the focus is on not too many characters and where there are no forgettable supporting characters. The awards attention may have been slightly too much though, especially at Cannes.
I personally really like Cassel, Seydoux and Cotillard, so I was looking forward to this film. Given my personal bias there, it's probably a bit underwhelming that I would say it was just a good movie. Baye was fine too, but Ulliel didn't do too much for me. The only scene/moment I quite liked with him is when we see him wink at his brother in the "Dragostea din tei" scene. This is also somewhat only scene when the family is in something that can be considered close to a state of harmony and I think this was among the best scenes of the entire movie. It was nice to see the two characters dance so enthusiastically and carelessly before it all went back to drama and destroyed idyll afterward very quickly. I also liked the flashback scene there, certainly more than the one later. The best friend story line, also with the death, felt a bit rushed in and it did not have any real emotional impact as a consequence in my opinion. Cassel probably gives the loudest performance of the movie, but I think he was a good choice for the character. Cotillard gives the most quiet performance and she was convincing too.
I think some people may have a problem with this movie because it is really almost always the same from start to finish. The scenes with all five together always result in arguments, tears and screaming and the big final scene is no exception to that and it includes really nothing too different that what we saw before. But to me it wasn't a problem at all, not just because I like the actors, but also because it felt pretty authentic. The tension rises, but why would entirely new things happen. I also think it felt accurate that the protagonist kept silent eventually about his illness. Favorite performance is difficult for me to pick as I really liked everybody except Ulliel. However, I must say that Léa Seydoux looks so stunning right now and is still so extremely desirable, even if she plays a pretty wrecked character. The tattoos sure help matters as well, also due to personal preference. Shame the camera became blurry when she is topless. What a waste. I personally would say that the core plot theme about one character dying also could have left out and it really would not have made too much of a difference, at least for me. Maybe people who won't like the cast as much as I do will not enjoy this one as much, but I think those who like at least one cast member a lot here should check this one out. Finally, the Moby song at the end is a good song, but it did not work half as well in the context like the aforementioned "Dragostea din tei". Overall, the good outweighs the bad and this film is worth watching, especially for the really tense final conflict scene. Another strong addition to Dolan's body of work. And I also like films like this one here where the focus is on not too many characters and where there are no forgettable supporting characters. The awards attention may have been slightly too much though, especially at Cannes.