Update: English subtitled trailer has arrived. Watch below.
Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan is back this year with "Laurence Anyways," and while some have criticized his films for putting style before substance (this writer disagrees), there is no denying it is tremendously exciting to see such a young director go balls out, with carefully crafted, deeply evocative images. And this lengthy, three-minute trailer for his new film (French only, sorry) shows that once again, he's going to be putting some utterly gorgeous imagery up on screen.
Starring Melvil Poupad, Nathalie Baye, Suzanne Clement and Monia Chokri, his latest is set in 1989 (the year Dolan was born; note the garish set and costume design), and centers on Laurence (Poupaud), who reveals on his 30th birthday his secret desire to become a woman. His girlfriend is shocked, but agrees to stay by his side, and the next year Laurence goes back to working as a professor where he teaches literature — only this time as a woman. A new life begins, but the weight of social stigma, family rejection and the incompatibility of the couple become toxic.
Even if you can't grasp the language, the drama inherent in the story is plainly visible, and given the subject matter, this looks like a powder keg of emotion. "Laurence Anyways" is expected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and will open this spring in Quebec. No U.S. distribution has been lined up yet. Oh, and the song in the trailer is "A New Error" by Moderat which we've embedded below as well. [Nightlife]