The Death & Life of John F. Donovan

source: The Death & Life of John F. Donovan

I loved this film. I believe that Kit Harrington gave a wonderful performance as someone battling with themselves on everything. No one could truly know what was going on in John's head. I thought that the final scene between John and his brother singing to each other was so moving and it broke my heart knowing what John's fate would be. This film deserves better than the critiques its received and more people should experience it.

Finally a movie for those who prefer to watch something that makes you think. Very relatable, magnificent problems shown by a range of actors so fine, you actually see there emotions behind their acting so real, you get a sense of sympathy even for Kit Harrington's character. For the first time in a long time every single actor is delivering an Oscar worthy performance. It may be that the script is so intriguing, that it was simply just joyousness to play, and it shows.

I thought this movie was a tragic romantic. I was in awe of Kit's performance as well as Bates and Portman. Wish it could make its debut in theaters in the US.

I get that people like Kit Harrington because of his character in GOT and the charming fact hat he married that ginger in real life. But he can NOT act his way out of a paper bag (and that is rare among British actors). No wonder Jessica Chastain got out of this clunker. Good for her

The great art of film making is to successfully recreate the way we live. Its to create characters so relatable you forgot they're nothing more than characters. This film succeeds at it without a doubt. The characters are irreplaceable, they drive the story forward. The characters seem so real, each of their actions are caused by believable emotions. Relations are great, dialogue excellent. The way Dolan films is magnificent and very intimate with small focals and big close ups. The film don't have a strong mystery nor actions scenes. Its a film about characters who's change eachothers life. Simple as that. Its not because you didn't like it that its bad. It may just not be you cup of tea.

This is Xavier Dolan's new feature film and it deserves all the recognition, because it's a unique and powerful movie with all around outstanding performances from the cast. The young child actor turned autour is already one of the most divisive directors of his generation. Love him or hate him, there can be little denying that Dolan is exactly that: a true artist who, by all indications, feels things more intensely than the rest of us, and who continues to bare his soul, no matter how harsh the response. Hollywood star John F. Donovan's tragically short life, the tabloid-ready conclusion of which imprinted itself on 11-year-old Rupert Turner. It was the defining incident in his own journey, and now, 11 years later, he has published a book assembling more than 100 letters penned by the star. But these were no ordinary letters. Written by hand, in green ink, they offered a view into the tortured identity of a deeply private actor: Donovan, star of a TV-style primetime soap, was gay, which obliges him to treat his public life as a kind of performance, too. Does Donovan open up about any of this with Rupert? Dolan's screenplay is totaly unclear about the contents of their correspondence. It's as if Dolan wants to offer audiences the celebrity role model he never had - and yet, the character who embodies that isn't Donovan but Rupert, who succeeds in doing what the star never could: live his truth.

Dolan's movie creaks and groans and ultimately fizzles under the weight of it's own enormous ambition. And, to be fair, it's beautifully directed. Dolan has great visual stye, invests scenes with great energy and emotion, and gets wonderful performances from a very impressive cast. You can see why Sarandon and Bates and Portman would have placed their faith in him. Unfortunately, the script is too slight to withstand the epic treatment it's given, and the movie runs out of steam before even the halfway mark. It's at least 20 minutes, probably 30 minutes too long. But even a good hard edit wouldn't have saved it. Dolan is certainly a director to watch, but he's going to need better material than this.

Dolan beautifully creates an incredibly personal & poignant, hopeful & contemplative movie which in its very essence captures the complexities of the normalcy of people's lives, regardless of their remarkablility, status or situation, illustrating how our mistakes can often act as a catalyst to inspire future generations to unburden themselves of the same insecurities. It's about authenticity, honesty, dignity & perseverance in the face of oppression, additionally acting as a wider criticism regarding the intolerance & prejudice present within the wider film industry. This is a film which is unafraid to ask a LOT of questions & equally, is also bold enough to answer them with an impressive amount of potential original & refreshing statements - so I won't even speculate about all the possible discussions to be had as this review would surely transpire in to a passionately verbose theological seminar. Undoubtedly, the pacing of the film is inconsistent & the story is messy but this merely reflects the untidiness of events as they unfold; things aren't pristine, nothing's perfect & instead of chasing the concept of faultlessnes, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan revels in its imperfections: the unapologetically campy cheesiness & the overly sentimental ponderous philosophical interactions. None hindered the viewing experience as it's so joyously confident & daring.

You know what? If you don't like Xavier Dolan and/or don't appreciate his work, please do not watch this movie; and, above all, don't do reviews. After watching this movie, I surfed the net - moved only by curiosity -to look for reviews. And, what I mostly found, even from the most qualified and acclaimed reviewers, is a sort of standardized analysis, gravitating around usual Dolan's logos (as unfortunately they use to say): Dolan always talks about his himself, mothers, homosexuality. So what? Even if these items seem to be recurring in his works, couldn't they be considered as tools, keys he uses for opening the door of his inner world? Everybody use tools, why Dolan should not be allowed to use his? Why don't start from different angles in analyzing what flows before our eyes ? If we look at things always in the same way, with the corrective lenses of prejudgement, we lose the freedom of observing things the way they are/could be, because we look at them only in the way we would like them to be. This movie has a lot to say not only about the director himself- of course it does, he's one of the writers- (by the way, the direction is great and beautifully crafted, and emphasizes events and emotions; Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon and the kid, Jacob Tremblay, offer beautiful acting performances) - but also it tells a lot about ourselves, humans beings always looking for something to relieve our mal de vivre; always looking for others approval, always deeply involved in an unbalanced balance between joy and despere. Yes, mothers, gays, and children too -people - in a carousel of feelings and emotions. I stop here. There are many things this movie talks about, many clues to investigate, many paths to follow: I leave you, sensitive people, the pleasure of discovery.