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16 Jun 2006

C.R.A.Z.Y.

Coming of age and coming out movies are not a rarity these days - in the past couple of years there have been already two notable films in this category, Summer Storm and Mysterious Skin, but these are easily trumped by C.R.A.Z.Y, possibly one of the best films in the genre this reviewer has ever seen.

Director: Jean-Marc Valle

Starring: Marc-Andr Grondin, Michel Ct, Danielle Proulx

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.

From the top: Zac Beaulieu (Marc-Andr Grondin) is confronted by brother Antoine (Alex Gravel), all eyes on Zac: four of the five Beaulieu brothers in 1967, Zac (Marc-Andr Grondin) and his abundant coif.
The difference? Although the central character is gay, director Jean-Marc Valle 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 Valle - 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 Ct), 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- Andr 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- Andr 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.

讀者回應

回應#1於被作者刪除。
2. 2006-06-17 01:17  
good moive ... really.

but i thought it was rather draggy. but but at the end of it,it did touch my heart. i really felt like i totally grew up with Zac.

gawk.
回應#3於被作者刪除。
4. 2006-06-18 12:42  
Those who have never been in the closet might be immensely irritated with some aspects of the film. For example, how Zac internalised his homophobia in his growing up years, resulting in the cruel assault of a fellow comrade in his town. But thankfully, the human dynamics handled sensitively in the film gave rise to one of the most richly nuanced and moving portraitures of family ties on celluloid. Comparable to Ang Lee's earlier works on families.
5. 2006-06-18 19:31  
Love it, really! Though I don't quite understand Quebec French, This is the one of my favorite french speaking movie ( another one is Le Temps Qui Reste ) I've watched this year...
6. 2006-06-21 12:03  
Anyone who had a Catholic/Christian "homosexuality-is-a-sin" upbringing will find themselves reliving their growing up years of wishing and hoping they are anything but gay... Parents who never knew how hard it was for the gay child but quick to lay blame and send their kids on guilt trips... Should be comppulsory viewing for anti-gay Christian groups like Focus on the Family to show that indeed Love Wins Out -- as a family.
7. 2006-06-22 02:04  
what about other french speaking coming-out gay film "Just a Question of Love".? I find it to be one of the best gay film I have ever seen.
8. 2006-07-09 01:09  
Anyone have suggestion of romance show like eg. all over a guy?

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