It’s Only the End of the World, and the first subtitled trailer for Xavier Dolan’s brooding family drama has surfaced online.
Following a 12-year absence from the family table, it is Gaspard Ulliel’s Louis – the film’s de facto prodigal son – who anchors Dolan’s latest creative venture. Sadly, he’s the bearer of bad news, forced to inform those he holds nearest and dearest of his forthcoming and inevitable death.
Taking inspiration from Jean-Luc Lagarce’s play of the same name, Louis’ plight is compounded by the tension bubbling beneath the surface, and today’s trailer introduces us to key members of the family, namely Louis’ mother (Nathalie Baye), his sister Suzanne (Léa Seydoux), and older brother Antoine (Vincent Cassel) along with his wife (Marion Cotillard).
When quizzed about It’s Only the End of the World, Dolan outlined how the familial drama draws upon universal issues found under any domestic roof.
“The movie is, quite simply, about family and the difficulty of loving one another. I guess it isn’t much of a change for me, but I’ve always been tentative about venturing into unknown territory. It’s always about mothers and sons, intimate dynamics, unrequited love, the struggle of different people to fit within the mould of society. All these things interest me because they matter to me and resonate with my life. But I’ve also shied away from the things and themes I felt unfamiliar with. I guess that’s about to change.”
It’s Only the End of the World clinched both the Grand Prix and Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cannes earlier this year, which positions Dolan’s latest quite nicely for its theatrical bow across Quebec and France on September 21. There’s currently no mention of a release date in the States, but we’ll let you know when we hear of one.
