31 Aug C.R.A.Z.Y. by Jean-Marc Vallée
Special Screening 2023
C.R.A.Z.Y.
by Jean-Marc Vallée
Canada, 2005, 127′, colour
Screenplay: Jean-Marc Vallée, François Boulay
Calendar programming:
Thursday 31/08 – 07.45pm
Special Screening
Book on giornatedegliautori.com
December 25, 1960. Zachary Beaulieu comes into the world, fourth in a family of five boys. An ordinary suburban family with a loving mother and a dad who’s a bit gruff, but proud of his sons. The beginning of a beautiful childhood, where Christmases and birthdays follow one after the other to the ubiquitous solo of the elder Beaulieu singing Aznavour’s Emmène-moi au bout de la terre, washing the car in the fresh air and trips to the snack-bar for Zac, his father’s favorite. But not for long, alas! That’s the lead-in to C.R.A.Z.Y.the story of a special little boy who grows into young manhood and ends up even denying his inner self to attract his father’s attention. A portrait of a family that depicts the often extraordinary lives of ordinary people in search of happiness. From 1960 to 1980, surrounded by his brothers, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones, between motorbike escapades to impress the girls, cigarettes smoked in secret, minor and not-so-minor disagreements and, particularly, a father that he searches desperately to find, Zac relates his story. Through music and rebellion, and also with humour, down to a mystical voyage to Jerusalem – “to the ends of the earth” as his father was always singing – where perhaps in such a far-away place he finally succeeds in finding him.
«Regardless of the movie, my approach to filmmaking is always the same: to tell a story with the sincere wish to give the best show possible. The idea of ‘show’ is very important to me. As a viewer, I like to be drawn in, have my expectations turn out to be wrong, be caught up in suspense; I like it when the rhythm is broken, regained, heightened; I like to be surprised, touched, moved, stirred up; to discover new worlds, dream, laugh and cry at the same time; and – at the very end – I like to go out of the theatre with the satisfying feeling of wanting to live, take a bite out of life, take action because I’ve regained, through a movie, that little spark of clarity that lets me see life the way it should always look to me: beautiful. I wrote it with that in mind, primarily out of selfishness. Starting from a real life experience that touched me deeply, I dreamed up this story that I wanted to be crazy, magical and beautiful. To make myself happy. [Jean-Marc Vallée]
Born in Montreal, Jean-Marc Vallée studied cinema at Ahuntsic College and the University of Montreal. In 1992, his first short film, Stereotypes, received numerous prizes at several film festivals. His next short films, Magic Flowers (1995) and Magic Words (1998), also won many prestigious awards. In 1995, Jean-Marc Vallée directed his first feature film, Liste noire, which became the highest-grossing film in Quebec that year, and was nominated for 9 Genie Awards. Following this success, Valléè moved to Hollywood, where he directed an episode of the TV series Strangers and a theatrical feature film Los Locos (1997), a western starring Mario Van Peebles. In 1998, he also directed two episodes of the TV series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and directed hit commercials. The 2005 C.R.A.Z.Y. was his third feature film; it was selected for Giornate degli Autori and the Toronto Film Festival and premiered to critical and audience acclaim. The film met with considerable success with audiences and critics. After making The Young Victoria (Oscar® for Best Costume Design and two nominations for Best Art Direction and Makeup), Vallée was back in Venice in 2011 with his film Café de Flore, premiering once again at Giornate degli Autori. Two years later, his Dallas Buyers Club was a global hit. Starring an extraordinary Matthew McConaughey, his sixth feature film won an array of international awards, including three Oscars® out of six nominations: Best Actor went to McConaughey, Best Supporting Actor to Jared Leto, and best Makeup and Hairstyling to Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews. In 2014 and 2015 Vallée directed Wild and Demolition respectively. Next, he returned to television series with Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, two enormously popular titles, once again thanks to the sophistication of the storylines and the ability to work with great actresses and actors. On December 25, 2021, Jean-Marc Valléè died of a heart attack.