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Léolo (1993)

Léolo (1993)
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Jean-Claude Lauzon's highly praised film tells the strange story of Léolo, a young boy from Montréal. Told from Léolo's point-of-view, the film depicts his family of lunatics and Léolo's attempts to deal with them. Not one individual in the boy's life is well adjusted. His brother, after being beaten up, spends the film bulking up on growth protein. The grandfather hires half-naked girls to bite off his toenails and, in a brutal rage, almost kills Léolo. As he witnesses his family decay around him, Léolo retreats into himself and the fantasy world he has constructed. In response to the weirdness of his daily life, Léolo creates a little mental mayhem of his own which Lauzon renders in an amazing series of free-form, surreal images. Eventually, this precarious balance of reality and fantasy cracks and Léolo is hospitalized after attempting to murder his grandfather. The score by Tom Waits underscores the narrative arc of Léolo's breakdown. On its release, the film won numerous awards including the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Director (1992) and a Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay (1992). ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi

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Starring:
Maxime CollinGinette Reno, (more)
Director(s):
Jean-Claude Lauzon
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Léolo

Jean-Claude Lauzon's highly praised film tells the strange story of Léolo, a young boy from Montréal. Told from Léolo's point-of-view, the film depicts his family of lunatics and Léolo's attempts to deal with them. Not one individual in the boy's life is well adjusted. His brother, after being beaten up, spends the film bulking up on growth protein. The grandfather hires half-naked girls to bite off his toenails and, in a brutal rage, almost kills Léolo. As he witnesses his family decay around him, Léolo retreats into himself and the fantasy world he has constructed. In response to the weirdness of his daily life, Léolo creates a little mental mayhem of his own which Lauzon renders in an amazing series of free-form, surreal images. Eventually, this precarious balance of reality and fantasy cracks and Léolo is hospitalized after attempting to murder his grandfather. The score by Tom Waits underscores the narrative arc of Léolo's breakdown. On its release, the film won numerous awards including the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Director (1992) and a Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay (1992). ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
107 mins

Complete Cast of Léolo


Director(s):
Jean-Claude Lauzon
Writer(s):
Jean-Claude Lauzon
Producer(s):
Leon G. ArcandAimee DanisLyse Lafontaine
Léolo Awards:
  • 1992 - Genie Awards - Best Editing
  • 1992 - Genie Awards - Best Costume Design
  • 1992 - Genie Awards - Best Original Screenplay
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Member Reviews
 
James V.

It's been 13 years since I first saw LEOLO, a movie that has remained in my mind as one of the "greats." So I thought the DVD release might be a good time for a re-visit. Wow: This film still seems amazing and brilliant but much darker than I recall. Its saving grace--and raison d'etre--is that writer/director Jean-Claude Lauzon shows us, via a unique combination of visuals, words & music, how a life of sadness & madness can be transformed into art & beauty through the use of imagination and talent. (And a little humor: Will tomatoes ever again seem so innocent?) There is such life, art, beauty & filth here that you may be left nearly breathless. Lauzon, who died with his girlfriend in a plane crash as he was about to begin work on his third film (his first was the interesting, over-the-top "Night Zoo"), was most likely an artist of major proportion. In any case, "Leolo" will remain vital & important as long as movies--& problematic families--exist. I urge you to give it a try.

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Salomon M.

Love it or hate it, it makes an indelible impression. It's mature material and it is poignant, funny and potentially disturbing.The poverty, familial insanity and general absurdity of life; be it funny or cruel, is experieneced through the eyes an intelligent and sensitive child. I highly recommend it.

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Steven G.

Overall, no real emotional connection was made with any of the characters. The cat seen was very disturbing and did not add anything to the movie the way it was done.

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