Well, well, well! It seems like the dramatic world of Xavier Dolan is more turbulent than a French film festival afterparty. Just when we thought he was gracefully retreating into the sunset of retirement, he pops back up like an overzealous character in a Jacques Rivette film. The man may have announced his retirement in 2023, but he’s clearly taken a page from the “never say die” playbook of cinematic greats.
During a masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival, Dolan casually dropped the news that he’s set to dive back into filmmaking with a project steeped in the literary ambiance of 1895 Paris. Because, of course, when you think of cinematic joyrides, it’s imperative you picture an era filled with suffocating corsets and men in bowler hats. Truly, nothing says “box office smash” like a bunch of existential writers debating the meaning of life over absinthe.
His upcoming film promises to be a love letter to the Parisian literary scene. Let’s hope he doesn’t cast a love triangle between an opium addict, a failed playwright, and the ghost of Oscar Wilde. I can already hear the audience’s collective sigh—a mix of admiration and existential dread.
Dolan, who bagged the Cannes Grand Jury Prize in 2016 with “It’s Only the End of the World” (a film that, like my last relationship, was hard to watch and even harder to enjoy), is clearly not one to shy away from the pretentious or the poignant. He’s no stranger to emotional rawness, and let’s be honest—who doesn’t love a good cry? His films are like a fine wine; they take time to appreciate, and if you drink too much too fast, you’ll wake up questioning your life choices.
Launching his new book, “A Friendship Through Film,” Dolan positioned himself as the auteur who can pen a novel while he’s at it. I can just imagine him scribbling away, capturing the essence of friendship like it’s the last bottle of wine on the shelf.
All this hubbub comes on the 10th anniversary of “Mommy,” a film that introduced us to the powers of a single mother’s love, despite her questionable taste in hairstyles. It seems fitting that Dolan is revisiting the industry just as we’re all supposed to be applauding his growth.
As we await this new venture, let’s keep our fingers crossed. Will it be a masterpiece, or a pretentious exercise in self-indulgence? Either way, it’s sure to be a ride. Buckle up, folks; Dolan’s back, and apparently, he’s got a lot more to say about the Parisian literary elite than any of us ever asked for.
In a twist that would make even the most cynical Parisian café philosopher raise an eyebrow, Xavier Dolan, the prodigious enfant terrible of Quebec cinema, is back from retirement to dapple in the 1895 literary salons of Paris. One can only wonder: will this be a lush tapestry of literary angst that rivals the likes of Proust, or will it devolve into another self-indulgent showcase of Dolan’s penchant for melodrama? Share your thoughts below—what do you think this film will say about the relationship between art and life? Meanwhile, feel free to explore more juicy Movie News stories that might just tickle your cinematic fancy.
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