In competition at the ongoing Cannes film festival, a series of moody new images have surfaced for Xavier Dolan’s French-language drama It’s Only The End Of The World, showcasing an all-star cast and a resilient family to boot.
The film chornicles the tragic tale of one writer who, after a 12 year absence from family life, returns home. He happens to be the bearer of bad news, though, revealing his forthcoming and inevitable death. Taking inspiration from Jean-Luc Lagarce’s play of the same name, It’s Only The End Of The World prides itself on “intimate dynamics and unrequited love,” according to Dolan, after the director revealed to Screen Daily that:
“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.”
Succumbing to an accelerated version of the five stages of grief, Dolan’s familial drama offers up meaty roles for its primary stars, and today’s batch of images tease the raw emotions bubbling beneath the surface. That’s a cast that makes room for Assassin’s Creed star Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux (Spectre), Vincent Cassel (Jason Bourne), Nathalie Baye and Gaspard Ulliel
Xavier Dolan’s family drama will make its bow on the Croisette next Friday, May 17. A theatrical release is expected later in 2016.
