Blog From The Bench

One of the most cleverly titled films I've ever come across (and I won't give away why), there was lots of personal connections and identifications going on here. I was perhaps most impressed with the treatment of Zac (Marc-André Grondin) and his tangled sexuality-- the second time around, I really noticed how the "struggle for sexual identity" is not presented as the film's raison d'être, rather, it shows how there are so many other things he has to deal with-- religion, relationships with his family, relationships with his friends, etc. before he can ever hope to find who he really is. And that's what makes C.R.A.Z.Y really truthful in the way it depicts teenage sexuality in general, because it shows that while sexuality is undeniably a driving force in, well, everything, it never occurs within a vacuum, but is tied very intimately with all aspects of life. I don't think we see that very often in films, especially films dealing with people around my age.

I also found that C.R.A.Z.Y. very astutely examines familial relationships-- many of the most memorable and affecting moments in the film are not only those that capture the inevitable moments of conflict and the brief glimpses of reconciliation, but in the the way the film dares to really delve into how much influence one's family ties really shapes identity, and does it with much more clarity, depth and perhaps even sympathy and understanding than a film like, say, The Family Stone.

It also helps that the acting is uniformly excellent-- both Michel Côté and Grondin are excellent, but Danielle Proulx gives a particularly great supporting performance as the frazzled matriarch of the testosterone-fueled Beaulieu family. C.R.A.Z.Y. also boasts one of the best soundtracks to surface in a film in quite a while (which is high praise indeed, there were some really fine ones in 2005), featuring essential tracks from the likes of Patsy Cline, Charles Aznavour and David Bowie; the music in turn helps highlight the film's really keen sense of time and place. Aside from a single misstep about 2/3 of the way through with an unexpected trip to the Middle East (where the hell did that come from?), the film quickly regains its step for a poignant and ultimately satisfying final act (though it does feel a tad rushed and too neatly tied together).

In a lot of ways, C.R.A.Z.Y. strikes me as a film very similar to The Royal Tenenbaums, but with a much more organic, and perhaps, more honest take on the subject. It's really a shame that American audiences may not ever get the chance to see this one (soundtrack issues, from what I understand), because this crazy tale is easily one of 2005's finest.