It's Only the End of the World (2016) User Reviews

French Canadian Life Drama

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 7/10 · 13 May 2017]

This is the latest film from Xavier Dolan who continues to surprise with his very human stories. This time he has gone for an 'A list' of French talent. The story is from the stage play of the same name and is about Louis (Gaspard Ulliel 'A Very Long Engagement') who is a successful writer; he has not been home for twelve years and has now only returned to announce that he is dying – but he does not know how to do it.

On arrival at his home he is met by his family, mother, older brother and much younger sister. His brother, Antoine, played by Vincent Cassel is a man who seems to have got more than his fair share of life's anger but has married a shy creature – Catherine – played by Marion Cotillard in a way that she owns the role, it is completely convincing. The whole day is played out in linear format as the characters stumble into each other always seeming to be on the edge of imploding.

This is not an easy to watch movie as the tension can be uncomfortable but that makes it a better film for it. This is real 'Arthouse' in that it takes a different path to many that have gone before and is becoming a welcomed trademark of Xavier Dolan.

If you liked any of his previous films then you are probably already sold on this, if you are new to him then switch off any expectations and let this film seep into your psyche, it will be worth the effort.

You need to look more closely & listen to what's NOT said

[carmenmartino · 8/10 · 18 September 2016]

b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t! I saw this movie at TIFF on Sept. 17 and it was the first Dolan film I've seen. It deserves the award it received at Cannes! Despite all the shouting and intensity, this film conveys with subtlety, suggestive dialogue and glances, the range of emotions felt by different members of a family when there has been an unexplained loss of another family member. Even though the main character, Louis, is still alive and returns to the family, they react as if he has returned from an unexpected death. They range from guilt, rage, idealization, and denial.The close-up filming style also reveals each family member's pain in intimate detail. Dolan is brilliant in his interpretation of that family's deep pain and Louis's coming to terms with not only his own impending death but the "death" the family already has had to deal with when he went away the first time.

Performance-driven salvation

[pauliecorleone-72628 · 6/10 · 2 February 2017]

I think it's beautiful when creators explain more in shadows and silences than in dialogue and obvious visual cues. There is true brilliance to be found in the hidden and the unsaid; oftentimes, the truth comes in subtle ripples than in galvanized waves, and it's exceptional to come across true masters of the craft who are willing to respectfully handle such an intricate technique without becoming dull and overbearing.

Regrettably, such is not the case here.

Dolan tries to sweep us off our feet with anthropocentric framing and a flowing stream of ethereal brushings of color and emotion, something he does well, I can't deny him that. In the meanwhile though, he seems to be neglecting the actual plot which is painfully lacking on so many points, this movie is rendered into nothing more than a neophyte's attempt at a college- level, arthousy project.

Fortunate that the entirety of the cast is strong enough to redeem this effort by generously depositing spiritful performances, thankfully seeming to overcome the dire facts that the writing is listless, the plot is dormant, and the whole movie seems painfully mannered and conditional. So much so, that the viewer is bound to be left confused and, at times, attacked by the drip-fed, self-folding, monotonous interactions that ultimately serve to dress the movie with no pragmatic value at all.

In aiming for elegance and allure, Dolan fails to dish out a well-founded, coherent film, leaving us with nothing more than an unprogressive fable that tiptoes along the verge of deforming from 'suspended' to 'backwards'. And all very chaotically wrapped in out-of-place musical choices, not enhancing but rather debasing the scenes, pulling the viewer out of the experience in flabbergasted eye-rolls.

My point of view: Overlooking the feeble dialogue, overall repetitiveness, plot stagnancy and forced emotive filming techniques, I rather enjoyed the performances -- and here is where I rate this. It's Only The End of the World is a lifeless attempt, devoid of any true passion and it could have very easily broken down into oblivion the moment the end titles started rolling - if it weren't for Vincent Cassel's very last scene which, yet again, validates him as one of the Greats.

Lucky for me I will always have that to remember.

about loneliness

[Kirpianuscus · 17 May 2018]

The story is familiar. because the portrait of dysfunctional family is not rare in the cinema of last decades. but the film has a fundamental virtue - it is a Xavier Dolan work. and that change everything. because not the conflicts, vulnerabilities, isolation, angry and fears, the return of the son are the basic aspects. but the precise and not comfortable image of loneliness. using admirable cinematography. the right actors. the close up. the forceof silence. the small gestures and shadows of memories. the admirable cold dialogues. and the last part as ideal building for a search who becomes out of target. a film who impress. not only for artistic value. but for remarkable science to present the things who are out of us being inside us. frustrations, intentions, the desire to be far by the other who could represent only the stranger. who is just an accident. so, a beautiful Xavier Dolan.

I like the actors, I liked the movie

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 19 February 2017]

"Juste la fin du monde" or "It's Only the End of the World" is a co-production between France and Canada in the French language. The director here is Canadian filmmaking prodigy Xavier Dolan and it is his newest work. it is probably also the film with the most big names in the cast by him, such as Oscar winner Cotillard, Bond girl Seydoux and Ulliel, Cassel and Baye also have their fare share of Hollywood productions in their bodies of work already. So it is maybe a bit surprising that this film was not received as well as most of Dolan's other works. Or maybe it is not because it frequently doesn't work out when it actually should. Then again, I myself enjoyed these slightly over 90 minutes for the most part. It is the story of what happens when a terminally ill young man comes back to his family and has the intention to tell them about his disease. However, they are more than busy with their very own struggles and conflicts they have with themselves and each other.

I personally really like Cassel, Seydoux and Cotillard, so I was looking forward to this film. Given my personal bias there, it's probably a bit underwhelming that I would say it was just a good movie. Baye was fine too, but Ulliel didn't do too much for me. The only scene/moment I quite liked with him is when we see him wink at his brother in the "Dragostea din tei" scene. This is also somewhat only scene when the family is in something that can be considered close to a state of harmony and I think this was among the best scenes of the entire movie. It was nice to see the two characters dance so enthusiastically and carelessly before it all went back to drama and destroyed idyll afterward very quickly. I also liked the flashback scene there, certainly more than the one later. The best friend story line, also with the death, felt a bit rushed in and it did not have any real emotional impact as a consequence in my opinion. Cassel probably gives the loudest performance of the movie, but I think he was a good choice for the character. Cotillard gives the most quiet performance and she was convincing too.

I think some people may have a problem with this movie because it is really almost always the same from start to finish. The scenes with all five together always result in arguments, tears and screaming and the big final scene is no exception to that and it includes really nothing too different that what we saw before. But to me it wasn't a problem at all, not just because I like the actors, but also because it felt pretty authentic. The tension rises, but why would entirely new things happen. I also think it felt accurate that the protagonist kept silent eventually about his illness. Favorite performance is difficult for me to pick as I really liked everybody except Ulliel. However, I must say that Léa Seydoux looks so stunning right now and is still so extremely desirable, even if she plays a pretty wrecked character. The tattoos sure help matters as well, also due to personal preference. Shame the camera became blurry when she is topless. What a waste. I personally would say that the core plot theme about one character dying also could have left out and it really would not have made too much of a difference, at least for me. Maybe people who won't like the cast as much as I do will not enjoy this one as much, but I think those who like at least one cast member a lot here should check this one out. Finally, the Moby song at the end is a good song, but it did not work half as well in the context like the aforementioned "Dragostea din tei". Overall, the good outweighs the bad and this film is worth watching, especially for the really tense final conflict scene. Another strong addition to Dolan's body of work. And I also like films like this one here where the focus is on not too many characters and where there are no forgettable supporting characters. The awards attention may have been slightly too much though, especially at Cannes.

Maiday

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 15 October 2016]

Nathalie Baye and Marion Cotillard, two great actresses from different generations, 'sold' me on this movie about which I knew nothing. Normally I run a mile from any movie whose cast includes Vincent one- trick pony Cassell unless, as here, his Jonny-One-Note violence is offset by at least one decent co-star and here, as mentioned, we have two. The plot is centred on our old friend the dysfunctional family and in this case it is reminiscent of A Christmas Tale without the snow. To nutshell it, Gaspard Ulliel has terminal Aids and is moved to visit his mother, sister, brother from whom he has been estranged for 12 years during which time he has acquired a sister-n-law, Cotillard, though why someone as sane and gentle as Cotillard would marry a psychotic sociopath like Cassell is something known only to the writers. It does, of course, end in tears and Ulliel leaves with his secret intact. The truest line in the whole schmear is when his sister calls Casselll 'a f***ing psycho'. She got that one right.

I do not agree with...

[bibo-93638 · 9/10 · 27 January 2017]

Most of the critics did not like this movie. Their argument was that it had a great and promising cast, but that the combination didn't add up to much..a disappointment they said. Well, I do not agree at all. And after having seen "Mommy" I was convinced that the director couldn't have spoiled things going forward..if anything, he was even getting better. This is one of those movies that whispers something to you without you even knowing. A whisper about a dysfunctional family, wrong timing, memories trapped halfway between your throat and your mouth..Words left unsaid, and meanwhile, everyone eats, everyone smokes, lunch and dessert..white wine Not red. Old Home and the new.. An airport, a cup of coffee and a magazine. A song, a dance while the protagonist is standing outside looking inside himself while everyone is looking at him and staring, wondering why is he here and trying to read what he hasn't even written yet..They are all wondering whether he has the right to show up just like that after 12 years away from them. But isn't he the writer after all, the one with the burden..and the one with the choice? Should he or should he not? say something.. and why can't he leave just like he entered ...without disturbing the order of things. If only there was someone in the crowd who is able to understand his whisper, his slow gestures and his silent scream that keeps reverberating inside..and time strikes again and again. someone lifts him up under a gigantic blue sky. "Let's go for a drive". A drive down memory lane, a drive inside a family's heart, mind and soul. A highly emotional and daring movie, tensed, real, so real that it will take your breath away more than once. Highly recommended for its authenticity, great cast, pace, music, cinematography and the well deserved Jury Prize in Cannes 2016.

Everybody's drama is understandable, just not touching at all

[b_velkova · 6/10 · 11 March 2019]

Dolan's Mommy (2014) shattered me to pieces, so I was expecting something similar to happen, but nah. In the hope that maybe this last time something will change, a guy tries to announce to his estranged family that he's dying. Everyone stays absorbed in their own spectacle though, so we only get the chance to see how he supposedly has influenced the lives of the others. A great idea actually, which reminded me a bit of Lanthimos' Alps, but the execution left me emotionless. The monologues are truly awkward and even though I understand that their purpose is to underline that everybody cares only about themselves, I still think the message could be conveyed more naturally. Moreover, no one is so self aware, not even the French speakers. I like how he gradually deteriorates during the "happy" family reunion though; it's like he's sick from the very negligence of his relatives and the bigger it gets, the sicker he looks. Everybody else's drama is also very understandable, just not touching at all. Maybe because I too do care only about myself. Hm. Food for thought.

brilliant

[ale-81785 · 10/10 · 13 September 2016]

I've read some negatives review for this film and disagree completely with all of them. It's a brilliant film centered around dysfunctional family dynamics, with all the associated emotions and behavior. Yes, there is yelling. Yes, there is tension. Yes, there are close-ups and moments of silence. And they all converge into a very deep and touching story (which was the whole purpose!!!)

The cast was perfect. The music was perfect. The images were perfect.

Xavier Dolan is a genius. He was inspired by the play "Juste la fin du monde" but turned it into something completely different. It's not a Hollywood story, please keep that in mind. This is the kind of movie that challenges you (and that only adds to its value).

Good technique, good themes, somewhat boring.

[raidatlanta · 6/10 · 24 March 2017]

I might have given this a higher rating if I didn't think that in the end, despite good actors, good and somewhat provoking cinematography, it didn't end up being a bit dull, and repetitive.

Most of the film is made up of people yelling at each other. this is not pointless yelling though.

the movie opens with the main character saying he wishes to kill himself to prove that he can remove master of his own destiny. he wants to tell this to his family. seeing his family, everyone's different reactions - sad and melancholic (the sister who doesn't know him), simply glad (the mother who loves him), angry and lost (the brother who missed him) and not knowing (his brother's wife). he realizes that he is not only master of his own life, but also master of other peoples' lives. it ends with a shot of a bird - bird of freedom - dying.

this is of course my interpretation, but I think it's nice. it goes against the usual vision of "you are never free, because everyone else and everything else impacts you". here "you can be free yourself, but other people are under your sphere of control / influence".

Every character is a bit stereotypical, but again, it's with a point, so it's not bad. dialogues weren't bad, and of course the script writing uses the always very nice trick of not giving you much information, leaving you attentive and hungry for details.

Nonetheless most of the films remain yelling. a lot of shots are kind of long, and when it came to thinking how much I enjoyed the film, I think I will remember yawning more than thinking. I don't regret seeing this movie at all, but I don't think I would necessarily watch it again.

Top talent grinding it out

[theshanecarr · 3/10 · 25 January 2021]

How can a film with Marion Cottillard, Vincent Cassel, and Léa Seydoux be so nail-gratingly annoying?

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh. I wanted to scream. And not in a good way. Gaspard Ulliel plays Louis, a successful write who returns home after 12 years offing away with almost no communication, to tell his family that he has a terminal illness. The film is about how his absence, and the family's imagining of him, has affected all of their lives. What it amounts to is an hour and a half of angst and bitterness, whining and hesitation. Ugh.

Louis' older brother (Cassel) refusing to feel any joy lest his anger dissipate. His younger sister (Seydoux) has imagined a dream version of Louis she both idolises and resents. His sister-in-law (Cotillard) is the most sympathetic but even she is mistrustful of Louis' return. Rounding out the cast is Nathalie Baye as the family matriarch who turns to Louis to cure the curdled bonds within the family.

What grates is the lack of insight into what it was that has caused Louis to leave for so long. The brief flash-back glimpses we get of his pre-leaving-home life seem happy enough, and the horror-show that is his family now has been caused by his absence. There's something to be explored here about what we owe our family, about the balance we have to strike between honouring the familial bonds, and look gin after ourselves, about needing to get away from toxic situations even if you love the people you leave behind, but the film is not interested in any of that - it wants only to wallow in how horrific the homecoming is. We learn nothing of why Louis is so desperate to stay away; so desperate in fact that he has done nothing more than send postcards with 2 or 3 words on them for years, so desperate that he does not want his mother to know his address. We can throw out guesses; his homosexuality? His artistic temperament? But the film won't so much as glance in that direction. Home is toxic; that's all it wants you to know.

The main character is so blank as to be without a character. He is silent for much of the film. Many scenes are shot largely in close-up, rendering everything claustrophobic, but Louis does no more than look sick, and give a wan smile. An early exchange of looks between Cotillard and Ulliel gave me hope there was some understanding between them that would yield some insight or drama, but nothing.

Cassel is asked only to be angry throughout. Seydoux only anxious. Cottilard only nervous. Baye, at least, is asked to do a little more; but even she seems to see her son only as a way to fix her other 2 children.

Perhaps there is something to be gleaned here for those whose home life is truly toxic, perhaps this functions as a sort of acknowledgement that sometimes you shouldn't go home again, but for me, this was a grind.

This was the first film I have seen written and directed by Xavier Dolan. I would never write anyone off (there's always hope!), but it may be some time before I venture into Dolan's house again.

Unexpectedly Brilliant

[AlexKrajew · 10/10 · 24 September 2016]

Critics shouldn't be criticizing films they don't understand. Xavier Dolan's movies are extremely subtle in their acting and dialogues which I think makes it more difficult for non-French speakers to understand. This is especially true for this film since the movie is based upon the impossibility to communicate. That's probably why most of the bad reviews come from American newspapers. I mean, I'm French and I honestly admire non-French speaking fans of Dolan because subtitles aren't enough to communicate the subtlety of each word and tone. Aside from that it's only a matter of taste.

I agree on the fact that some characters are a bit stereotyped, especially during the scenes in which the whole family is gathered. However each actor has a scene in which they speak in private with Louis and that's when their characters get interesting. The film is aesthetically brilliant and allows you to understand things only eyes can communicate. The movie constantly creates an emotional tension, something I've rarely felt.

Dolan's middle-road residing

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 11 February 2017]

Canne's 2016 Grand Prize of the Jury winner, Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan's sixth feature, IT'S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD is based on Jean-Luc Lagarce's semi-autobiographical theatrical piece, and its closest reference within Dolan's canon is TOM AT THE FARM (2013), adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard's play, a throbbing drama predominately enclosed within a single household. And this time, Dolan goes even further, not only the story is almost exclusively locked inside a family house with five characters, the time-frame is also condensed just within a few hours (bar some sketchy flashback).

In the opening monologue, inside a plane, Louise (Ulliel), a 34-year-old writer, confesses his impending death (from an unspecified disease), and the destination of his trip, to visit his family which he has left 12 years old for the first time. At first, it seems Dolan expunges any signifiers of digital technology to avoid signposting a specific time for the story, it could happen well in early 90s when Lagarce wrote the play, or in current days, but when DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI merrily pops up, the effort dissipates immediately, yet, a more relevant distinction is the once-tabooed homosexuality has taken a back seat in the narrative (dissimilar to TOM AT THE FARM), instead, Dolan archly toys with his opening gambit: Louis is going to drop the bomb onto his kin, and god knows how they will react?

In the ensuing over-deliberate familial wrangle, this tantalizing question which is blatantly deployed as a trigger of viewers' curiosity, has ultimately evaded the drama, what Dolan musters is a series of bromide-suffusing tête-à-têtes between Louis and his mother Martine (Baye), younger sister Suzanne (Seydoux), elder brother Antoine (Cassel) and Catherine (Cotillard), Antoine's wife, the sister-in-law he has never met hitherto, and at other time, a cacophony of the usual suspects generates on its own, meanwhile Louis remains excruciatingly tight-lipped through and through. A gaunt-looking Gaspard Ulliel gives a commendable performance, straitjacketed in his diction, the character is solely built on affective miens and minute gestures which demands taxing physical effort to pad out the lacunae in Dolan's meditative close-ups (Dolan really loves Ulliel's model- contour and blues-imbued visage) and what's more incredible is Ulliel instills a visceral pang of agony into Louis' perturbed psyche in the face of a massively elliptical story-line.

Vincent Cassel, as ever so rebarbative in beastly aggro, gets an about-face display of bravura in the blistering altercation consummated near the finish-line, don't judge the book by its cover, never, his Antoine is another victim in the aftermath. Léa Seydoux and Nathalie Baye, both send up impressive theatrics of trivial verbosity and rapier-like acrimony to an exuberant extent. Which leaves Marion Cotillard's Catherine, being the only outsider in their bloodline, engages with a more discombobulated outlook in her timorous muttering and courteous self-consciousness, which is not a big stretch for the Oscar-winner, maybe that's why Dolan compensates with overlong glamour gaze into Catherine's dew-eyed comeliness (why will she marry a brute like Antoine, one cannot help wondering?), playing out tacitly with Louis' soulful kindness.

We have only been granted sporadic glances into Louis' past in between (in the form of Dolan's emblematic slo-motion, moist and smoky grandeur), there is no buried secrets to be disinterred, no irreconcilable feud running in consanguinity, we have no idea neither what pushed Louis away from home years ago nor what has been keeping him from divulging his tidings now, yes, human emotions are sophisticated, but they are inherently follows certain logical pattern no matter who flimsy it could be, if it is Dolan's intention to obfuscate and equivocate and leave us to pattern the jigsaw, he has done a splendid job.

Opening with Camille's poignant HOME IS WHERE IT HURTS and rounding off with Moby's nostalgia-infused NATURAL BLUES, Dolan's latest offering is a tad shambolic in bootstrapping its central drama and overindulges in its artistic license which is dwarfed in front of TOM AT THE FARM or MOMMY (2014), but on the other hand, it doesn't veers into narcissism and smugness as unbearable as in HEARTBEATS (2010), a middle-road residing might not be a bad thing to cool down Dolan's hyped auteur-status, so we might be more poised for another incandescence along the line, inevitably.

disappointing

[yevlondon · 2/10 · 30 May 2020]

Quite disappointing. this movie combines two "dreams" of every gay child. (1) i will die and you all will be sorry. and (2) i will go become famous and you will all realise how wrong you were about me. characters are made of cardboard. so are dialogues. Marion was great. but a very weak movie overall. btw (3) why are they all yelling at each other?

Intense and captivating

[Gordon-11 · 2 March 2017]

This film tells the story of a gay man who goes back to his home town to see his family, after not being in touch for twelve years. The film details the interaction between him and his for family members, which is dysfunctional and twisted.

I was captivated by the last film "Tom at the Farm", so I had high hopes for "It's Only the End of the World". This time, the gay subplot is only a minor incidental subplot, as the director has obviously made it big, and can attract a plethora of big stars. The plot is initially quite plain, but as the story builds up, it gets more intense and twisted. One would be excused for thinking Gaspard Ulliel being the star of the film, but it's Vincent Cassel who is the real lead actor in this. His character is so unlikable, that it will surely evoke much emotions in the viewers. The final showdown is so captivating that it is almost unbelievable. The very final scene uses a significant imagery, and it brings viewers right down to rock bottom. This film is so intense and captivating, I enjoyed it loads.

Nathalie Baye shines

[bob998 · 7/10 · 18 July 2018]

Juste la fin du monde is a play that enjoyed a great deal of success in the 1990's while the AIDS epidemic was still raging. A mother and her two sons and daughter settle down to a long day of anger and recrimination as her eldest son Louis returns to the family home after a long absence. So long an absence that he doesn't recognize his sister-in-law Catherine, while his brother sulks and spouts insults towards everyone. The film version makes what I believe is a grave error in casting: Vincent Cassel, 50ish, plays Antoine who is the elder brother here. Since Cassel is almost 20 years older than Gaspard Ulliel (Louis), and since the first born son is usually the one favoured by his mother, it doesn't make much sense to have Antoine bitching about his brother's supposed advantages in life. Louis should be the one vehemently protesting the raw deal he got in life.

If birth order is of no concern to you, I'd like to say that Nathalie Baye gives another superb performance as the mother. She's a gold standard now among French actresses. Lea Seydoux does well as the confused, lonely Suzanne. Cassel and Ulliel do the best they can with their parts.

Mostly Good

[proud_luddite · 7/10 · 21 August 2023]

In the 1990s, Louis (Gaspard Ullilel) is a gay man in his thirties who is a successful playwright in Paris. After a long absence from his family, he returns to the small town where he grew up in order to tell them of a life-changing situation. Once there, past family dysfunction is brought to the surface again. The film is based on the play by Jean-Luc Lagarce.

The relatives greeting Louis are his mother (Nathalie Baye), his older brother (Vincent Cassel), his brother's wife (Marion Cotillard) whom he is meeting for the first time, and his much younger sister (Léa Seydoux) who was a child when he last saw her. The best scenes are when Louis is one-on-one with each of the women. Among them, there is genuine awkwardness that tries, not always successfully, to hide the feelings of abandonment due to Louis' absence.

The scene between Louis and his brother Antoine, however, is not so successful. Antoine is in a constant fit of rage and resentment. While Cassel plays the part well (though rather miscast as he is eighteen years older than Ulliel), the characterization feels incomplete.

It's easy to compare Antoine to the Eddie Maresan character in "Happy Go-Lucky". But while each are enraged by life, the angry character is more easily understood in "Happy Go-Lucky" than in this film.

In the beginning, one might have thought that Louis's being gay was the reason for his estrangement but the family seems okay about this. There's no indication of past or present homophobia. It's most likely the bad relations, especially those of his brother, that would probably cause anyone to flee.

There is much to ponder in this film and it is very well acted by a fine cast. It is a good film but could have been much better if the character of Antoine was more explored. - dbamateurcritic.

A mediocre play adapted with the vision of a genius

[trekhyon5 · 10/10 · 5 June 2017]

I read Jean-Luc Lagarce's play "Juste la fin du monde" a while back and it didn't really make an impression on me. So I was quite intrigued and just a tiny bit worried when I learned that Xavier Dolan, possibly my favorite contemporary film director, was adapting this to me impenetrable text into a movie.

I had confidence in Dolan's genius and was rewarded beyond expectations. The film is as magnificent as anything Dolan has created before. He has said in interviews that at first reading Lagarce's language- also off-putting for me- didn't impress him but that he discovered its power on second random reading. I'm grateful he did and that he has now shared this discovery with his audience with the aid of some truly superb acting performances.

The very first scene establishes everything with narration by protagonist Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), a successful author who is flying to see his family for the first time in over a decade. Louis is dying. Dolan hides Ulliel's face with shadowy lightning and a cap as well as utilizes close-ups so extreme you can't get a proper feel of a face. The close focus continues in the following scenes of Louis's family, only to very gradually move away as the film progresses.

Greeting Louis are his extravagant mother Martine (Nathalie Baye), his coolly detached younger sister Suzanne (Léa Seydoux), his dominant yet socially awkward older brother Antoine (Vincent Cassel) as well as Antoine's shy, even more socially awkward wife Catherine (Marion Cotillard).

Dolan tends to depict extreme personal conflict in his work, uniting his fiercely dramatic, richly colored and always unique visuals with raw scripts that seem to channel Ingmar Bergman's best work. This also occurs in "Juste la fin du monde".

If you looked at the movie without sound you could mistake it for a regular- if exceptionally well shot and acted- drama about a family uniting with the result of old wounds and conflicts emerging and taking over the scenes. This is indeed what basically happens here, but the dialog, to me so difficult to digest from the pages of a book, makes it all about what is left unsaid. Because even as extreme emotion takes over the characters and bursts out they still can't communicate with each other. Lines that one would expect to convey full, sincere, angry honesty are expressed through awkward, even incomprehensible dialog that only hints at the apparently troubled history of these people.

Louis, as mellow and conciliatory as he acts, seems to be a dangerous catalyst for his family, an antigen they all defend their nest against. This is endlessly fascinating and sold so well by the actors, each and every one of them marvelous. The title becomes darkly ironic, as Louis soon seems to find his impending death a minor problem in his severely dysfunctional family. He connects with Catherine, another outsider and someone who he hasn't met before this one day during which the whole film occurs. "How much time?" Catherine asks Louis, a question that together with the offhand mention of Louis's first boyfriend having passed away from "cancer" establishes the fatal backdrop of the AIDS epidemic.

At first glance "Juste la fin du monde" might seem like a melodramatic shouting match that emerges unfocused and aimless, but I ultimately find it urgently compelling and even insightful through its sustained aversion to a genuine unmasking of characters.

Lagarce wrote the original play in 1990, reportedly to examine his own mortality. He was dying himself at that time and finally succumbed to AIDS in 1994. There is a touching dimension to the script's nightmarish reunion as we sense Louis's need to come full circle, to rediscover his childhood and adolescence, even to assure himself that his already estranged family can survive after he's gone. Death is ever present, and instead of trivializing the personal conflicts it elevates them, because they are if nothing else moments of vitality for people not truly living.

Captivating premier at TIFF

[arsenepl · 9/10 · 12 September 2016]

Just saw the premiere at TIFF last night. In fact, it was my very first viewing in TIFF -- ever. And wasn't disappointed, not in the least. Before the premier, Xavier Dolan, Gaspard Ulliel and others made themselves available for photos. They were standing two feet away. I didn't recognize anyone, so just moved along. Too bad. I should have taken at least one photo. They were also available to answer questions after the film. A truly enjoyable experience.

What about Juste La Fin du Monde? It was captivating and thought provoking to say the least. Surely, I'm not like any of those characters. But the more I watched, I more I was drawn in. Then I saw myself in them, just a word here and there. But it was enough, even terrifying. What would you do under the same circumstances? And if anyone thinks this could never remotely happen in real life, think again.

You should go and see It's Only the End of the World. This film is not for the faint of heart.

My only complaint -- the theatre was too loud. You could hear a pin drop if nothing was playing. Everyone was captivated. The volume could have been turned down.

Read Into Expressions, Not Dialog

[iquine · 7/10 · 1 November 2017]

(Flash Review)

The film's plot slowly unpeels like an onion. Where a man returns home to his family after a 12 year absence. There is a brief statement early on about why he decides to return but when or will he find an opportune time to tell his family during his family's constant bickering, snarky comments and yelling? This film is dialog driven but one must read in between the dialog to interpret the true meaning all of which is moderately open to interpretation. It is a slow burn with effective cinematography with long shot holds and communicative music score. So if you are up for a French drama with a family poor at communication yet like to ponder emotional meaning, then this is for you.

About a horrible young man that doesn't deserve his story to be told

[makolina · 3/10 · 29 June 2019]

This movie is about a thoughtless, self-centered man who basically disavows his family for no real reason, other than his own disinterest in his family. He's gay, but that has absolutely no real meaning or merit in this movie. I thought perhaps this was why this young man left home with minimal contact for 12 years, not coming home for any reason, birthdays, holidays, even his own brother's wedding, but not even close. His family wants to know him, cares about him, wants to take care of him, be involved, even impress him. Throughout the movie it shows them trying to get to know him, make an effort and no they aren't perfect, but noone is. His sister reaches out to him, telling him details about her life, questioning him about his. His brother's wife tries to share intimate details about her kids and their lives. His mother shares a moment with him telling him to try to reach out to his family, they need him, even if it's a lie. She loves her son even though she knows what kind of person he is. And his brother, forever angry at him because he knows what kind of person his brother is and he lashes out at his sister and wife because he doesn't want them to get hurt by trying to get to know him. So at the end this young man can't even show a simple kindness to his family by even telling them he is dying. He is having dessert and he tells everyone all the lies his mother wants him to. They're all touched and having a moment and then he says he needs to leave and his brother hears the truth and he wants his brother gone and not leaving a trail of heartache behind, even though the trail is already made. Everyone runs off to their own corner, and he leaves, walking out of their lives forever not bothering to even try to get to know his family or let them know him. This is a movie about a character that doesn't deserve to have his story told. Everyone has normal family awkwardness and to think you're better than your "dysfunctional" family is trying to place yourself on a pedestal. Everyone has their own demons to deal with and yes sometimes family can be a hard pill to swallow, but this family wasn't anymore dysfunctional than most and didn't deserve his attitude towards them.

Incredible

[Xillx · 10/10 · 24 September 2016]

I've just seen this in Cinema: it is a remarkable achievement, the humanity in this movie transcend the media form, and it does become pure art in many moments.

It's the first movie by Xavier Dolan that I've seen and it is directed extremely well. I loved all the subtle humour.

Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux impressed me the most out of the cast, but they all surpassed themselves.

My only negative about this movie is some of the techno-pop music choices, but it didn't ruin in any way the overall quality of the movie.

This movie deserves to be known internationally. I can already see it winning at the Awards for best foreign film. It would probably win best movie if it was American-made.

Nice

[chera_khalid · 6/10 · 28 September 2023]

"Juste la fin du monde" (2016) concludes with a 6/10 rating, comfortably residing in the "wasn't bad" category. Xavier Dolan's intimate family drama showcases exceptional acting from a talented ensemble cast, portraying the complexities of strained relationships with raw authenticity. The film's strength lies in its emotionally charged performances, which draw you into the fraught dynamics of a dysfunctional family reuniting after many years. However, it struggles with pacing, often feeling a tad claustrophobic in its exploration of familial tensions. The music serves as a haunting backdrop to the characters' emotional turmoil, while the cinematography captures the intense, uncomfortable moments. While not without its flaws, "Juste la fin du monde" is a thought-provoking exploration of the difficulties of communication within a fractured family, offering a compelling viewing experience for those willing to delve into its intricate web of emotions.

Irritating stage play

[davek28 · 5/10 · 12 May 2019]

More like a stage play than a movie, about an extremely unlikable family. I wouldn't want to spend more than one minute in the company of any of them. All they do is shout at each other. I'm not surprised that Louis never visited them. Whether you watch this to the end or not depends on your tolerance for screaming idiots. My advice is ... don't.

A little confusing

[Red_Identity · 30 January 2017]

I think this film is definitely not as bad as the publicity and the buzz from the film festivals would lead one to believe. I think it still carries a lot of Dolan's trademark cinematic flourishes. But I also think they exist in this film to a very distracting degree. The screenplay lays the foundation for some very interesting character dynamics, but it seems as if they never really come to fruition and all we have are very barebones approaches to what should have been a great film. The cast surely gives it their all, even when the material really isn't helping them. Some of the camera-work and music choices are also a bit baffling. It's not bad and there are noteworthy aspects, but it's a great disappointment.