C.R.A.Z.Y.

I thought I'd never get here! I'm having new problems accessing my blog and posting that's related to my browser, but you don't need to hear about that. I'll sort it out.

Saturday we ("we" being my signif other and myself) went to see C.R.A.Z.Y. The Quebec film that has had huge success (for Canadian film). The film is beautifully crafted and there are some stunning cinematographic moments. The dialogue is excellent and true to each character; character's act subtext and never speak it. I didn't get the joual but my signif other did and thought it was great. It's a wonderful film. That said...yes, here comes the rest.

That said, between the lovely moments of the film there are some problems that don't make the film less enjoyable, but rather makes me question the decisions made during the making of the film.

Briefly, C.R.A.Z.Y. is a coming-of-age film in (I think Montreal) Quebec where we are invited into the intimacies of a working class family from the 60s to the 80s, predominately through the eyes of the main character Zac. Zac, almost not suriving his birth, but is born on December 25th, struggles with his identity spiritually and sexually. Nothing is summed up easily or neatly for the audience, but rather we are left with an understanding that there many ways to define "crazy".

As I said there are some lovely moments such as Zac (the main character) singing Major Tom in his bedroom. My absolute favorite scene is between the father and mother in the bathroom getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth and discussing their son as a problem. This is a long quiet scene and I think one long take. The dialogue is brilliant. Even though the frame is static the moment is far from it. The strength of the characters and the actors portraying them make this scene quite breathtaking.

The above mentioned scene is a startling contrast to the moments of pop cultural reference that at times borders on nostalgia. The representation of the different eras (60s, 70s) is done in a very pop cultural way that hold true to maintaining Zac's teen point of view. There are no political references of the eras, not even the cliche back ground t.v. and/or radio sound to tell us about changing government or current events of the time). This succeeds in so far as it keeps the film focused on what is relevant and important to Zac. There are some "how things change and stay the same" through the repetitions of the Christmas gathering, Zac's birthday, mass, the father singing the same song at family events. However, within this beautifully drawn child's world the pop cultural references become too detailed to the point of excess and eventually they began to pull me out of the film. One moment in particular was when we have a C.U. of a Double Bubble being torn in half. Zac tosses a half to his younger brother. I don't think this is a necessary detail to sustain the moment it gets, even metaphorically. We are already well aware of Zac's dualities and his struggle to let one identity emerge while being torn in two directions. What is positive about the cultural references is the masks Zac find to hide behind: Bruce Lee, Ziggy Stardust, Punk Rock. That is the point of these pop cultural moments, and for the most part the film succeeds.

Having both local and universal appeal, this film has the ability to reach into all of us in an intimate way.

Try and see this film if you can, it's worth it.