It's only the End of the World

Young author Louis is terminally ill and travels to meet his family after years of absence to inform them of this fact. His young sister, who still idealizes him; his older brother, who can’t forgive him; his prissy sister-in-law who readily accepts any fate; and his mother with her penchant for the overly dramatic – they all have to try to deal with this shock. At the young age of 27, Xavier Dolan has already transformed from indie wunderkind to established festival darling. So it’s no wonder that for his sixth film, based on a play by Jean-Luc Lagarce, the first choice of the French acting profession queued up: Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel, and Nathalie Baye. The triumphant result, which already won several awards in Cannes this year, shows the young master’s opulent craft in all its glory, with close-ups, almost constant music and a brilliant visual style. But we also witness Dolan as a more mature filmmaker, who deftly manages moments of intimacy, intensity and highly complex emotions with virtuosity.