Laurence Anyways

Reviewed & Written by Tashi khan
Help & Assistance by Neeley Lara Gail

Laurence Anyways is a 2012 Canadian drama film written and directed by Xavier Dolan. The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival^[1]^[2] where Suzanne Clément won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress.^[3] The film was also awarded with the Queer Palm Award at the festival.^[4]

At the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, the film won the award for Best Canadian Feature Film.^[5] The film is also a nominee for Best Picture at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards.

Laurence Anyways

The story starts with intriguing love between Fred and Laurence, a man who wants to come out as a woman. Set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the impossible and complex relationship of Fred and Laurence, and the trials and criticism they face.

The film is introduced by Laurence, a normal guy, he is an award winning novelist teaching in Montreal. He loves his girlfriend, Frederique very much. On his birthday, he tells Fred that he has felt as if he was born in the wrong body and wants to start his life as a woman. Fred calls him gay, and is very disappointed. They argue and decide to take a step back from their friendship for a short time, but after a while Fred decides to resume her relationship with Laurence.

The romance continues and she supports him fully in public. She teaches him how to do makeup and buys him a wig and female clothing.
Laurence goes to work one day wearing a dress. Everything goes well until he is fired from the school. At this point Fred is very depressed about the whole situation. She feels that she can't cope and decides to move on with her life. She marries another man, Albert, and has a son named Leo.

Laurence, starts to live with another woman named Charlotte, but is still deeply in love with Fred. He stalks her and often parks outside Fred's house in Three-Rivers. Additionally Laurence writes and gets his book of poems published, he sends Fred a copy with a secret message of love, she knows that he still loves her. Fred contacts him, and they decide to run away together. However they start to argue when he comes to know that she was pregnant but had an abortion when he told Fred about his coming out as a woman.

Charlotte tells Fred's husband all about her affair and her life story with Laurence so Albert decides to end the marriage .

Laurence leaves that night and they don't see each other for many years.

Laurence writes his biography and is shown being interviewed about his life, the presenter enquires about his relationship with Fred, Laurence admits to have connected with Fred but the meeting did not go as he expected and she wants to live and grow old as a woman.
The final scene shows Fred and Laurence meet again and its uncanny that the circumstances are almost similiar to what happened when they met for the first time, where friends bet him to introduce himself to Fred.
The film's concept, photography and technique is superb. A must see.

From my point of view it is one of the best films of the festival.

Cast