New Dolan film struggles with structural difficulties
Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan had its world première at the Toronto International Film Festival Monday evening, placing the Quebec director in a vulnerable position that is all too familiar to him.
“I can’t help but sense the energy (of journalists) walking in, asking me questions after seeing (press screenings of ) the film,” he had told The Gazette, 24 hours before. “It has not been the most reassuring 24 hours of my life.”
The movie’s two-year editing process is a good indication of how much trouble Dolan had getting his star-studded Englishlanguage debut to a place he was happy with. Along the way, he was forced to cut the part of his friend Jessica Chastain. He also missed his favourite film festival, Cannes, twice, ultimately leaving the door open for TIFF to claim bragging rights on the highly anticipated film’s première once it was finally ready this summer.
In classic Dolan fashion, it’s a film that will divide critics and audiences alike. His last feature, Juste la fin du monde, drew some harsh reviews — mostly from U.S. publications — after its Cannes première, before finding redemption as it went on to claim the festival’s prestigious Grand Prix.
Though it starts off in rocky fashion, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan eventually finds its footing, exhibiting many of the director’s trademark flourishes as it recounts the correspondence between a young boy, Rupert Turner (the precocious Jacob Tremblay of Oscar-winner Room), and a famous actor, the John F. Donovan in question (an aptly tormented Kit Harington from Game of Thrones).
Initially meant to be told from Donovan’s perspective, the film’s focus shifted during the editing process to centre on the boy’s point of view, as recounted a decade later to a probing reporter (Thandie Newton) by grownup Rupert (Ben Schnetzer).
Establishing that framework proves to be the film’s biggest hurdle, as the story flips from Rupert telling his story; to young Rupert living it, while fending off bullies at school and idolizing his pen-pal from afar; to Donovan, struggling with fame and his closeted sexuality.
Mother-son relationships are a running theme — this is a Dolan film, after all — and the director doubles up, with Natalie Portman bringing neurosis and distance to her portrayal of Rupert’s mom, and Susan Sarandon incarnating Donovan’s with barbed affection.
The movie is beautifully shot by longtime Dolan collaborator André Turpin, whose lush closeups highlight the emotional intensity Dolan is so fond of exploring. And once you get past the multi-pronged plot’s structural difficulties, those images and intimate moments are what linger.
Sunday afternoon, Dolan seemed aware that this may not be his best work; but he didn’t appear overly bothered by the possibility.
“I very much believe that these films are exercises, challenges I give myself,” he said. “I made the film I wanted to make. I worked with artists I had admired from a very young age and am still very fond of. So that is enough for me. After that, it’s not my problem.”