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Simply Perfect

Admirable film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Alex is a drug addict who sells his body for the cash to carry on his addiction. His life seems to centre around giving or having pleasure but the periods in between are anything but enchanting. He has a coterie of friends or probably associates who are all equally caught in a seemingly never ending spiral of self destruction. Like holding the tiger's tail – they are destined to never get off.The film follows their lives and the highs (very few) and the lows (too many) of how they eek out a survival in a Canadian winter. It is hard hitting and graphic with scenes of drug taking and preparation peppered throughout. There is also simulated sex and it is not the stuff that could be classed as 'tasteful'.This is not an easy watch either and I felt that some of the scenes could have ended sooner, but this was probably an artistic choice by the director to emphasise the emptiness of what the protagonists are actually doing. This is a gay themed film too in that Alex is gay but it is quite universal in the themes it addresses. At 120 minutes and in French this is one for the not so squeamish and for those who like their films to be challenging.

I saw this movie about a week ago and it kind of stuck with me. Anyone who has spent time with junkies and crackheads know the furtive endless cycle of obliteration that makes up their lives. But that didn't really matter with this film. I didn't feel like their lives were shameful and I didn't waste any time hoping anyone would get better. What struck me is that there was no judgment at all about the characters or what they were doing. The camera simply followed them around, usually in a very close claustrophobic manner that added a weird edge to each scene. It was usually impossible to figure out what the interior rooms were like, as though everything took place in a couple of corners or against a wall. A lot of the initial scenes took place in a car which conveyed a strong feeling of having no escape or being lost. The sex was unexciting and the drugs were constant. It was almost like watching animals in the wild, tracking their movements and behavior. Really a beautiful film unless you have strong opinions about gays or drug addicts, in which case you might want to watch something else.

Calling this film 'two hours in hell' is not meant as a put down. This is an accomplished film in most ways. The actors are good, even excellent at times and the director captures a sure sense of place and knows how to depict situations with great realism.This is the type of film that pulls the viewer into its world, using a semi-documentary style. Filmed in a frigid, grey Montreal, it's an unpleasant world, with no humor or true pleasure. The inhabitants are desperate drug addicts who continually pay for their next fix by selling their bodies or stealing. The title is ironic: there does not seem to be any love in this world either. There is sex, but it's rough and without tenderness. We only glimpse the possibility of love between Alex and Bruno at the start, when the film looks like it might be going to tell their story as a desperate couple. But the real focus of the film is Alex. We spend a few days with him, watching him waste time with demanding abusive friends, or selling himself, or stealing. The film works because Alex is played by a handsome and charismatic actor, Alexandre Landry. Throughout, we feel that Alex is a good kid who has gone terribly wrong somehow, and has wound up in a treacherous, possibly deadly downward spiral. The film is a series of realistically presented scenes, showing Alex's world. It's a world we are probably very happy not to inhabit ourselves. The film isn't perfect--the final section, with Bruno, is somewhat confusing to follow--but it works because of Mr. Landry and a cinematically effective style.