Winter Boy: LFF Film Review
If a film has Juliette Binoche in it, then that film must be watched – and at LFF, that movie was Christophe Honoré‘s Winter Boy.
Rising French star Paul Kircher plays Lucas, a gay 17-year-old living at a boarding school. One day, he and his older brother Quentin (Vincent Lacoste) are summoned home because of some unexpected bad news. After a family tragedy leaves them reeling, Quentin offers to take Lucas back home with him to Paris temporarily and he lives with Quentin and his gay flatmate Lilio (Wilfried Capet) in their apartment.
The film basically follows Lucas as he navigates his grief, tries to process and cope with his newfound loss and looks for comfort in all the wrong places. The tragedy really knocks him for six and Lucas acts out and makes really questionable choices. Although there are moments of lightness, hope and joy, the majority of the movie is pretty bleak and melancholic.
I’ve seen a lot of positive feedback about Winter Boy, with people calling it beautiful, moving and stunning. However, I personally struggled to get into it and came away feeling quite ambivalent about the movie as a whole. There were certain scenes that I enjoyed but I never got invested in the story. I also didn’t love Lucas’ narration at the start – I didn’t think it was necessary – and the pieces to cameras didn’t work for me either.
I cannot fault the performances though. Binoche is flawless in her supporting role as a grieving mother who is trying to find strength for her children. But Kircher is the biggest revelation – he gives a raw, fearless turn as the troubled Lucas. I came away thoroughly impressed by his work here.
While I can appreciate the performances and the poignant exploration of grief, family and sexuality, Winter Boy just didn’t quite click for me.
Seen as part of the London Film Festival. Currently without a UK release date