His admirers no longer hold. Xavier Dolan will finally reveal his new project to us. And this time, it is not at the cinema that he gives us an appointment, but on CANAL +. All about The Night where Laurier Gaudreault woke up, his first series.
This is an event for fervent admirers of the talent of Xavier Dolan! While he knew how to deploy his art in the most beautiful way across the big screen, in critical and public successes such as Laurence Anyways, Mommy or Just the end of the world (to name but a few), the filmmaker with Mille Caps is tackling this year an area that it had not yet sublimated: the series.
Barely 6 years after being crowned with the César for Best Director and Best Editing (for Just the end of the world), the Quebecer most beloved by French film buffs lifts the veil on The Night where Laurier Gaudreault woke up, his very first series, then. Long-awaited, this CANAL+ Original Creation arrives from January 23 on Mondays at 9:00 p.m., with two episodes per evening, and will be available on myCANAL.
Written and directed by Xavier Dolan, the 5 episodes of approximately 1 hour each, halfway between an intimate story and a thriller, are freely inspired by the eponymous play by Michel Marc Bouchard. This plunges us into the heart of the Larouche family.
CANAL+
In the early 90s, Mirelle, her brother Julien and their best friend Laurier were more united than ever and the future smiled on them. 30 years later, and while the matriarch Madeleine, alias Mado, lives her last moments, the siblings are broken. We are thus faced with a Julien father of a family and married to the positive and devoted Chantal, to the two other brothers Denis and Elliot, all gathered around Madeleine’s bed before the dreaded return of Mireille.
What happened on that famous evening of October 1991? What big secret caused the clan to break up? What lies turned children into disillusioned adults? This is what the series reveals to us as it goes along, tackling many subjects such as male violence, self-hatred, childish illusions, addiction and family tragedies.
In addition to its slick direction summoning both the best of horror cinema and suspense, and Dolan’s eye based on his characters and their adversity, The Night where Laurier Gaudreault woke up is carried by impressive actors. narrowly, from the essential Anne Dorval to Julie Le Breton, from Patrick Hivon to Eric Bruneau and Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, without forgetting Xavier Dolan himself.
CANAL+
The icing on the cake, the original music for the series was entrusted to none other than the famous Hans Zimmer, accompanied by David Fleming. They compose here an enveloping score, sometimes moving, sometimes distressing, wonderfully rocking this brilliantly conducted story, intertwining two temporalities. A real gem that it would be a shame to miss, to discover from January 23rd.