There is undeniably a profound fusion of parallelism in this film coming from its opening salvo - the confessional scenes featuring people and their views on love until unfolding its relevance to the main characters. There is a thin line of simile showing how they all define love - how they and we tend to fall for the idea of it but run away once we are caught in its pit.The creative treatment of the director reflects much of his adeptness to communicate beyond the superficial - there is an interplay of lighting with sounds, the slow motion of scenes that matter, the elimination of words and letting the eyes speak of dialogs we all have in mind - there is a cobweb of HARMONY in this film.The plot which is initially defined as "love triangle" is highly underestimated as this is beyond your typical love triangle where two people are strangling themselves for the love of one. This speaks of the love triangle we humanities have within ourselves. There were insecurities, fears of rejection, thirst for freedom and acceptance.I am still hungover with its soundtrack, its symbolisms (the rain and umbrella scene), its script about crossing oceans for the one you love and ending up wanting just the distance, its last scene which will make you think - it wasn't a bizarre love triangle after all. It was just the two of them from the start and they just wanted another soul to tease, to love.

when i started watching the movie, i didn't really enjoy it and just waited for something to happen, but nothing really happened. the random people talking between the scenes were completely unnecessary, but after all, the best part of the movie was what the girl with the black glasses said about spooning. this movie isn't really about love. it's about adult people with the brains of teenagers falling for "the perfect guy". the movie is quite pretentious, as the characters with all their vintage clothes, audrey hepburn, talking about art and other hipster crap. i also didn't like all the slow motion scenes and the bedroom scenes. the slow motion was sooo uncalled for and in the bedroom scenes we don't really hear anything new. but the soundtrack is nice. oh, and the ending isn't that bad. but the characters really suck. it's like all 3 main characters are the same person. they're really shallow and boring, as their conversations. :/

Best Canadian film of the year, or any year without Arcand of Egoyan in the spotlight! One word of caution: don't jump to evaluate the plot. Like a good book, this film is better in the introspection it causes than the story per se. Great visual effects, a soft French style story, witty intrusions and a general sense of elegant joy when watching. The story is as natural as life itself. Andy Warhol meets Almodovar in this Xavier Dolan, a paella of colour and music, of pain and elation all making an experience. It exudes the thinking behind every frame, the carefully chosen colours and outfits, the engaging music, the nerdy framing. As a respectful critique, I just think some frames look too much like video clips. Still it captivates and never gives you a chance to go to the fridge during watching. Some may like simple biological stimulus, (watch then some blockbusters with Julia Roberts in all her pectorally enhanced glory) but this film is about complicated humanity. A deserved Cannes selection, will follow the director with interest. Given his age, the future may bring us finally some more quality Canadian Cinema. © Dan Gabriel 2012 [email protected]

Francis is gay and his close friend Marie is straight, two little things that threaten to tear the friendship apart when at a dinner party they meet 'Adonis' like Nicholas. Both feel an instant attraction to the blond curly haired beauty who seems to exude sexuality, passion and an artistic creative side. The attraction grows as the trio becomes firm friends, spending more and more time together and Francis and Maris both try to impress Nicholas by dressing like his favorite movie stars or hanging out in places he might be and then pretending it's just chance when they meet.Nicholas though never states a defined interest in either playing ambiguously towards the two leading them to have little idea where they stand. As the friendship progress's the two sleep with partners in the hope of gaining some sexual satisfaction elsewhere when they can't have it where they really want it and all the time the pangs of jealousy grow stronger between the two as each bids for Nicholas' affections.This second feature from Canadian Xavier Dolan is a far cry from his debut (I Killed My Mother), which I found a grating and dire experience. In contrast this is a brilliant portrait of unrequited love that perhaps anyone can relate to. As a film maker, there is no doubt that Dolan had talent and in this film it really shines. The film is as frustrating though as it is funny and real; Dolan populates his film with beautiful 'trendsetters' who at times look like a bunch of espresso swilling bourgeois idiots and that I found annoying and there are times when it falters on some clichéd territory. Yet this is outweighed by fine performances, great camera work, including some nice slow motion shots and a brilliant visual impact with it's array of costumes and in some sequences bright colour. Dolan also douses his film with some vibrant and perfect musical choices that at times add to the realism of the plot.And it's that plot that works so well; everyone has felt an attraction to someone and gone out of their way to 'impress' them in the hope they might make something unrequited become less so. The ability to be able to relate makes for an at times painful but also very very funny film and whilst it does have some faults this is a really solid and wonderful film.More of my reviews at my site iheartfilm.weebly.com