Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Konterr Brilliant and touching

druidlord This film exceeds expectations on so many levels. The acting was a little stiff to start with but as you proceed into the film you pay less and less attention to it and begin to become enfolded in a different world. The fact that the other parts are all played by men seems to enhance the film once you've got over the initial shock of seeing them. I think both of the two leads (Young Simon and Vallier) played their parts admirably and deserve to go on to greater things.The screen play was fantastic for me but I would like to read the book to see what I missed out on. I think that I agree with another poster in that the biggest disappointment for me was that the older Simon looked and sounded nothing like the younger version which was a shame. The Bishop Bilodeau was very believable and the supporting role of the Countess De Tilly where both played with eloquence and style. The music that accompanies the film enhances the experience, particularly towards the end of the film. But for me, the one thing that stood out above all of these was a one line sentence spoken my Simon as he holds Vallier in his arms after the death of the Countess De Tilly. He whispers "I got you" That was all but with the music of the Hillard Ensemble behind it, it proved to be the most simple and most powerfully moving line I think I've ever heard. It still brings me to tears even now and I will always remember it.I love this film and I think its one that my family should watch for its uniqueness and moving portrayals.Thank you to everyone involved. You did a stunning job.

gradyharp LILIES, based on a Canadian play 'Les feluettes' by Michel Marc Bouchard, has been adapted to the screen by Bouchard and placed in the sensitive hands of director John Greyson, an artist who is able to indulge in surrealism with reality and make it work well. This very beautiful film is cast entirely with men despite the fact that there are women roles in the story. How does he make that work successfully without pandering to artiness? View this little film and make the discovery for your self.Set in Quebec in a prison, Bishop Bilodeau (Marcel Sabourin) has been summoned form the outside to hear the confession of 'a very sick man' who has been imprisoned for 40 years for a murder. Upon the Bishop's arrival the audience knows something is amiss: despite the atmosphere of the prison as a stage accompanied by choral singing of plainsong (The Hilliard Ensemble) there are props and images that seem out of place in a grim prison. The Bishop is ushered into the confessional booth and when he opens the window to hear confession, the person in the seat is Simon (Aubert Pallascio) the 'very sick' man who has planned for the bishop to watch a play depicting the 40 year old crime - a reverse on the confessional stance.Through a small aperture in the bishop's now locked confessional, the Bishop is forced to watch a reenactment of the incident 40 years ago when two young boys, Simon (Jason Cadieux) and Vallier (Danny Gilmore) were in love and the young future Bishop (Matthew Ferguson) was jealous of Vallier's attention from Simon and played a key role in 'murder' of Vallier that resulted in Simon's being accused and imprisoned. The atmosphere leading up to this act includes the reaction from the small town's homophobia and to Simon's sexual ambiguity that involves a strange lady Lydie-Anne (Alexander Chapman) who arrives form Paris via an air balloon. It is the interaction of the boys with the townsfolk, the new lady arrival who desires Simon's affections, and Vallier's understanding and self-sacrificing mother Countess De Tilly (Brent Carver) that leads to the fateful death of Simon. How the story ends in the confessional booth reversal is the beauty of the film that must be left unsaid for the drama to affect potential audiences of this movie.The cast is all male because the whole story is a mise-en-scene, a play within a play, where all parts are acted by the prisoners for the sake of displaying truth to the Bishop. There is no pretense at making the men look like women except for the costumes and this enhances the message of the story. The actors are excellent and the impact of the story is powerful. Yes, this is a highly honored gay-themed film, but it is really more about the power of love both in youths and in thwarted adults that makes it a film for all audiences. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

bbraat A beautifully made film. The way the movie flowed like quicksilver between the prison and the past was unbelievable. It was also great how the male actors, a la mode Shakespeare, played all the female roles. What was so good about that was that they didn't do so as hyper-female drag queens but simply as actors. after a while the viewer forgets that sex of the actors and focuses on the characters. I was surprised that this illusion held up despite several removals from the narrative when we are transported back to the present and the prison chapel and we see the actors as they really are. somehow the film keeps us from being jarred out of the movie and we once again are transported back to 1912. a profoundly moving story.

avidet The worst thing about this film was the marketing and distribution, which let this gem fall off the radar before anyone knew it was out. Here was finally a film that had depth, imagination and innovative story-telling instead of scantily-clad bucks mincing muscle with bad acting. Few films from the gay community have found this level of quality in production values as well as story. True, there were some flaws in the make-up that I won't mention in the interest of not spoiling the film. But if you have not seen this film, rent it and let your imagination be rewarded.