LEOLO
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating: 8.3 (B+, ***)
Date Released: varies Running Length: 1:47 Rated: R (Sex, violence, mature themes)
Starring: Maxime Collin, Ginette Reno, Roland Blouin, Yves Montmarquette, Julien Guiomar Director: Jean-Claude Lauzon Producers: Lyse LaFontaine and Aimee Danis Screenplay: Jean-Claude Lauzon Music: various composers Released by Fine Line Features French with English Subtitles
Leolo (Maxime Collin) has a very strange family and, although his mother (Ginette Reno) says he is the strongest of her children, even he is not without some rather extreme peculiarities. To escape the ugliness of his day-to-day existence, Leolo has fashioned a dream world in which he can find temporary refuge. The more he watches life go on around him, the more convinced he becomes that an existence within his family is not worth having. As a result, his reliance on dreams grows from day to day.
LEOLO shows the world through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy, so many of the things that adults take for granted look absurd. Of course, the balance of the movie isn't helped by the instability of most of the characters. Leolo is surrounded by a group of nuts. His brother, after being beaten up by a bully, goes all out to bulk himself up to gargantuan proportions. However, when the opportunity to avenge himself arrives, he goes through another humiliating defeat, despite his obvious physical advantages. Leolo's sisters are simply weird. His grandfather, who enjoys having half-naked girls trim his toenails with their teeth, has tried on at least one occasion to kill him.
Leolo has invented an elaborate fantasy world into which he frequently flees to escape the harsh realities around him. The movie frequently blurs the lines between what's real and what isn't, lending much of LEOLO a dream-like quality. It's an interesting, often effective, and occasionally confusing method of telling the story, and demands the audience's attention.
LEOLO is essentially a comedy--albeit of a dark and unusual sort--and the story is filled with humorous moments. Many of these are off-color, dealing with a variety of bodily functions. Those who are offended by such "bathroom humor" (literally), would do best to stay away from this movie.
Moments of bleak, and often shocking, reality occasionally intrude on LEOLO's mainly-lighthearted tone. Some of these scenes are disturbing (such as a scene where Leolo's schoolmates torment a cat). However, writer/director Jean-Claude Lauzon has managed to expertly weave together the humor and drama into a cohesive, if often erratic, whole. Frequently, comedies with messages result in an awkward end-product. Lauzon avoids this pitfall.
The soundtrack for LEOLO is notable. An amalgamation of oddball and melodic pieces, it perfectly captures the feel of the movie. There's nothing commonplace about anything that transpires during LEOLO and the choice of music conveys that.
Despite all the weirdness going on in LEOLO, the movie has a captivating quality. There is a fascination associated with such a bizarre-yet-plausible family, and it doesn't take long to sympathize with the title character. Even though this film has its dull moments--not to mention the occasional bouts of confusion it causes--LEOLO is not an easy film to turn away from.
Note: In response to some requests, all movie reviews written by me may be reprinted provided that they carry the following notification: "Copyright 1993 by James Berardinelli".
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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