Film fest presents provocative, emotionally raw look at transgender issues and love
Posted on January 4, 2013 by Will Dean
http://lgbt.blogs.mydesert.com/2013/01/04/film-fest-presents-provocative-emotionally-raw-look-at-transgender-issues-and-love/When Fred (short for Frederique) meets Laurence at work in Montreal, she instinctively knows their relationship — whatever it becomes — will be powerfully transformative. She is intrigued by Laurence's good looks, charm and directness, as anyone would be encountering a potential new love for the first time. But as the flashback scene near the end of "Laurence Anyways" shows, Fred has no idea the extent of how they and their lives will change during the next 10 years.
It doesn't even seem clear to Laurence (actor Melvil Poupaud) at the beginning of Xavier Dolan's refreshingly frank, emotional and stylish film that he's undergoing a transformation from man to woman. His ->-bleeped-<- is gradually realized, seeping out during classroom lectures that define "normal" and gender identity and a covetous appreciation of the feminine power exhibited by his female students.
The movie really takes off after its slow start when Laurence can no longer contain the truth of who he is. It comes rushing out like a waterfall while at a car wash with Fred (actress Suzanne Clement), though the audience doesn't hear it then. Laurence exclaims, "I'm going to die." (This is one of a couple times when Dolan–who wrote, directed and edited the film–artfully and unexpectedly uses a deluge to symbolize a torrent of emotion.)
