IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD

Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan is back with an emotional drama about a dysfunctional family par excellence. Winner of both the Grand Jury and the Ecumenical Jury Prizes in Cannes, IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD features some of the finest French actors working today: Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, and Léa Seydoux. After 12 years away, famous playwright Louis returns home. Bracing for his arrival is his resentful family, consisting of a high-strung mother, pothead sister, aggressive brother, and insecure sister-in-law. Louis is on a sombre mission: he has come to let his kinfolk know he’s dying. Yet faced with the household’s stream of sometimes hilarious and often horrifying invective, this professional wordsmith can’t find a way to break the news. When Louis finally escapes the house by agreeing to a car ride with his brother, we realize they’re going nowhere fast. This moving and beautifully photographed film, based on a play by Jean-Luc Lagarce, deals with people’s inability to listen to those they really ought to love. (In French with subtitles) —B.B. IT'S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD was selected as Canada's entry for Best Foreign Language Film for this year's Academy Awards®.