C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

Director:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Writers:

François Boulay (writer)
Jean-Marc Vallée (writer)

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Growing up in this family, you'd have to be... C.R.A.Z.Y.

Plot:

C.R.A.Z.Y. Extraordinary lives of ordinary people in search of love and happiness - that's the premise of "C.R.A.Z.Y", a family drama unlike any other.

Plot Keywords:

Thirst | Father Son Relationship | Summer Camp | Homosexual Son | Underwater

Awards:

37 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Michel Côté	...	Gervais Beaulieu
Marc-André Grondin	...	Zachary Beaulieu 15 à 21 ans
Danielle Proulx	...	Laurianne Beaulieu
Émile Vallée	...	Zachary Beaulieu 6 à 8 ans
Pierre-Luc Brillant	...	Raymond Beaulieu 22 à 28 ans
Maxime Tremblay	...	Christian Beaulieu 24 à 30 ans
Alex Gravel	...	Antoine Beaulieu 21 à 27 ans
Natasha Thompson	...	Michelle 15 à 22 ans
Johanne Lebrun	...	Doris
Mariloup Wolfe	...	Brigitte 15 à 20 ans
Francis Ducharme	...	Paul
Hélène Grégoire	...	Madame Chose
Michel Laperrière	...	Psychothérapeute
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Prêtre
Mohamed Majd	...	Bédouin

Also Known As:

Crazy (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

Argentina:127 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | Canada:127 min (Québec)

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15 | Hungary:14 | Norway:15 | Germany:12 | Italy:T | UK:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Québec)

Filming Locations:

Essaouira, Morocco

Company:

Cirrus Communications

Trivia:

Acquiring the music rights took such an important part of the budget, director and producer Jean-Marc Vallée had to cut his own salary.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the beginning of the movie, and also during a flashback after his motorcycle accident, Zach as a baby is shown being resuscitated using a clear plastic face mask and bag. Those were not available in 1960. Face masks at that time were made out of black rubber.

Quotes:

Raymond Beaulieu: [to Laurianne] I missed... your delicious ironed toast.

Soundtrack:

The Messiah Will Come Again

Growing up in Quebec in the sixties and seventies.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is simply one of the best movies of all time. It encapsulates a time and a place – Quebec in the sixties, seventies and eighties and evokes the era with an amazing sound track and jaw-dropping acting. You're there, in the moment with Gervais, played by Michel Côté who is the macho factory-working Dad.

He's the proud father of five sons but gradually realizes that one of them is a 'sissy' and takes this on personally in the jock world he inhabits. The father is a fully rounded character, not cast in the black and white mold so prevalent in other movies of this genre as his puzzled love for his fourth son Zac, played by Marc-André Grondin, is palpable.

The movie takes off in completely unexpected directions. Zac is totally uncomfortable with his sexuality and prays all the time for a 'cure'. He just wants to be like his brothers and earn the love and acceptance of his father. It is telling that for Gervais, he can accept his druggie son but not the one he suspects of being a 'fairy'.

There is a huge amount of humour in the movie, one scene in the cathedral with the boys' choir singing "Sympathy for the Devil" brought a joyful laughter to the audience I was in. It is that kind of movie. Gervais sings Charles Aznevour's hits with predicable regularity and has a thing for Patsy Cline and her music.

It is the era when everything was changing and insular Quebec, like the rest of the world, was being exposed to the outside world of David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane. Zac embraces all of these changes and struggles with his orientation.

Nothing is ever graphically portrayed, the plot is character driven all the way with incredible little sidelines and sidebars thrown in to add to the concoction. (One scene of a drunken brawl played to a beautiful opera piece comes to mind.)

Danielle Proulx, who portrays the mother, does not have much dialogue (typical of the era) but when she does speak it packs a wallop. She has a wonderful scene with Gervais where they discuss anal sex and a couple of others where her psychic ties to her son Zac are evident but never discussed.

The film just gets under your skin, you are there, in that microcosm of time when the world was changing so drastically and we just didn't know it. 9 out of 10. Take a bow Jean-Marc Vallée; you have an absolutely amazing talent! Bravo to the entire cast and crew. Movies are a pleasure when they're this special, and yes, I would see it again.