It´s Only The End Of The World ( Juste La Fin Du Monde )

There are some directors out there, who from an early age knows how to make quality films. Directors that don´t care about the box office numbers, but focus on making a really solid film. There are of course many directors to choose between, but let´s take one example, Jeff Nichols. His full feature film Shotgun Stories, proved to be a unique experience, but this turned out to be just the tip of the ice berg. His next film Take Shelter, really lifted him up on a completely different level. The film is a really unique look into one man´s mental issues, if he really is right or wrong ? Michael Shannon in the lead role as Curtis, proved why Michael Shannon is one hell of an actor. His facial expressions, his reactions to different situations, it all shows why Michael Shannon made this wonderful film so good. If you have not seen Take Shelter yet, you simply have to. Director Jeff Nichols continued to make wonderful films, and his next one called Mud, really proved how good he is at telling strong, emotional stories. Matthew McConaughey is brilliant as the criminal Mud, who meets two young boys while hiding from justice. Mud is a must see, and let´s not forget, Reese Witherspoon is really good in this film as well. Let´s move outside America for a while and focus on European directors. Most of you have probably seen some really good films from Europe over the years, and i love a lot of films coming out from different countries. So let´s talk about one Canadian director for a while. Director Xavier Dolan have really made a big impression on film critics and audiences worldwide with many of his films. He is very young, only 28 years old and have directed 6 full feature films, and acted in several films as well. The films i have seen by director Xavier Dolan are very intelligent drama films, telling different stories from different peoples lives. And one of my personal favourite films that he have directed is Laurence Anyways. The story of a couple of a woman, and a transgender woman, who are in love, is both really beautiful but also show us how difficult it can be to live as a transgender woman. A very strong film, with a lot to say about relationships, making choices and dealing with life. Director Xavier Dolan keeps on working hard, and i always look forward to see his next project. After i heard that he won the award Grand Prix Award for his new film It´s Only The End Of The World. But that´s not all, this film have won 3 awards at the César Awards 2017, as well as 5 awards at the Canadian Screen Awards ( one of the awards was for Best Motion Picture ). I just had to see this film in cinemas, especially when i read that the film is based on a play about a homosexual man, who knows he is going to die soon. Since director Xavier Dolan have done such good films in the past, is this film his best film so far in his career, or is this a downfall for him ?

Louis ( Gaspard Ulliel ) travels to his mother ( Nathalie Baye ) and his sister Suzanne ( Léa Seydoux ) after being away for 12 years. Louis is a homosexual man, with a disease. He is going to die soon. And this trip to his family could be his last. But no one knows about this, and this could be the only chance he have to say goodbye. While he arrives he also meet his brother Antoine ( Vincent Cassel ) and his wife Catherine ( Marion Cottilard ). This is supposed to be a lovely family reunion, where the family is finally gathered together. But with Louis keeping his secrets to himself, can he be honest and tell the truth ? Or is it too difficult to handle ?

When you are emotionally attached to a film, you know it will stick to your mind. And this is exactly what It´s Only The End Of The World does. Seeing Louis going back to his family, trying to tell his family that he is dying, is a really emotional moment. How do you tell someone that you will die ? Do you have the strength to tell someone you love, that you won´t survive a disease? There are many questions around this subject, and i don´t think there is any real answer to them. All i can see is the pain in Louis eyes, when he knows that this might be the last time he sees his sister and mother. The acting from the cast is incredible. The characters are all very well written, and the power from the performances strike you from the very first minutes of the film, to the end. Nathalie Baye as the wonderful mother of Louis, is both charming, funny, and makes you enjoy every moment of her screen time. Léa Seydoux as Louis sister Suzanne, is a young woman with many issues kept inside of her, but with a good heart. Her perfomance is also very good, and you kind of feel sorry for her throughout the film. Vincent Cassel as the angry, self centered Antione, who hates everyone, is without a doubt the most powerful character of the film. When he gets really angry within the final scenes in the film, you can really feel how much anger he is carrying inside of him. Almost as if he is ready to explode. Vincent Cassel does one of his best performances of his career. I have never seen him this good in a film for many years. And of course the main character Louis, played by Gaspard Ulliel, is the shy son with a dark secret. Gaspard make his character feel mysterious, and at the same time you can recognize his shyness. When you see his sad eyes, that holds so much pain and sadness, you sit there in the theatre and wish his disease would vanish, that he deserves to live a long happy life. Director Xavier Dolan is known for making very strong films, and this film is not different in that sense. This is a powerful film that have so much to say. There is a lot of dialogue, and if you can cope with that, you are in for a very special theatre visit. It´s Only The End Of The World is in my opinion one of the most strongest drama films of this year. I actually went to see this film 2 times in a cinema, because i love this film. It is very hard to say if this will be one of the best films of this year so far, because we still have plenty of films coming out. But this is without a doubt one of the best film i have seen in cinemas in quite some time. If you love a really strong drama, with fantastic acting, you must see It´s Only The End Of The World in cinemas right now. Director Xavier Dolan is one of the most talented Canadian directors of our time, and he proves this clearly with this film.

Rating: DDDD