It's no wonder Canada picked this film to be the official entry for the Foreign Film category in the Academy Awards, because it is simply THAT good.

The difference? Although the central character is gay, director Jean-Marc Vallée has made more than just a "gay movie" - C.R.A.Z.Y is a richly layered movie about a family and its attempts to understand and accept each other. In fact, the film boasts such a compelling and complex storyline that it deserves to be seen more than once to be fully appreciated.

C.R.A.Z.Y tracks the Beaulieu family from the point where their fourth son (and protagonist of the story) Zac (Emile Vallée - yes, the director's son) was born on Christmas Day 1960. As a result, Zac grows up hating Christmas, which is exacerbated when his family never seems to get him presents that he wants. That said, the young Zac idolises his father Gervais (Michel Côté), who makes sure he spends quality one-on-one time with Zac whenever he can.

However, this begins to change when Zac shows a preference for pushing baby prams than "manly" activities, and his "fate" is sealed when Gervais catches him red-handed playing grown up... in his mother Laurianne's (Danielle Proulx) clothes. Laurianne, on the other hand, silently condones Zac's behaviour, and even believes that Zac has a God-given power to heal just by uttering a special prayer.

As Zac progresses into teenagehood (now portrayed by Marc- André Grondin), father and son remain somewhat close, but Zac's emerging quirks as a teenager poses a threat to their bond. Yes, it seems that Zac is turning out to be what Gervais terms a "fairy," but that doesn't seem to be the only problem that faces the Beaulieu family. Zac's second brother Raymond (Pierre-Luc Brilliant) is dealing drugs on the side has sex with wild abandon with a large number of girls in his basement bedroom, until his deeds are finally exposed by Zac, and Raymond is evicted from the Beaulieu residence.

The Beaulieu family expands to include an additional son, but the relationship between Zac and Gervais remains uneasy. The narrative continues to track Zac's growth as a somewhat confused young man, from his gradual sexual awakening to an unplanned diversion to Jerusalem. Will the Beaulieu patriarch finally come to terms with the possibility of having a homosexual son, or will the rift between the two continue to widen?

With a generous running time of over two hours (129 minutes to be exact), C.R.A.Z.Y takes its time in fully developing its characters - although obviously Zac's role is fleshed out, the other characters aren't caricatures (except Zac's three other brothers who are almost totally left out of the narrative), resulting in a very successful ensemble cast that the audience will grow to care about. The film is also paced well enough to avoid any sags in momentum, and some seemingly extraneous sequences make eventual sense.

The film also features a killer soundtrack, ranging from Pink Floyd to David Bowie to Patsy Cline (whose Crazy becomes the film's central music motif), and one of the best musical moments is where Zac imagines an elaborate set-piece at midnight mass to the tune of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." (The music rights alone cost the production CDN$600,000 (US$540,000) - little wonder since so many well-known songs were used in the movie.)

It's easy for many members of the GLBT community to identify with the trials and tribulations of Zac - after all, coming out (especially to family members) is still a difficult thing to do, and Marc- André Grondin puts forth a searing yet tender performance that anyone gay or straight can empathise with. (It also doesn't hurt that he's a good-looking chap.)

The theme of homosexuality is also handled very maturely, and in a rare move, there isn't a single scene of sexual intimacy - the movie is more concerned about presenting the emotional and spiritual growth and change of Zac on his journey of self-discovery, not the physical.

In a season of loud, brash summer blockbusters, C.R.A.Z.Y is the perfect antidote and ranks as one of the must-watch films of the year. In fact, you would be C.R.A.Z.Y to give this film a miss.