Xavier Dolan was born on March 20, 1989 in Montreal. Although he will only turn 35 this year, he has achieved impressive achievements. The world first heard about him in 2009 thanks to his directorial debut. The Canadian not only directed the film “I Killed My Mother”, but also produced it, wrote the script and played the main role in it. The film, depicting the complicated relationship between son and mother, was presented at the Cannes Film Festival and was very warmly received.
Just a year after the success of “I Killed My Mother,” Dolan once again delighted critics and audiences with his latest project. “Dream Loves” is a story about the feelings that arise between the two main characters when they meet a mysterious young man. Lust, rivalry, love and hatred awaken in them. The film won the main prize at the Sydney International Film Festival. Xavier Dolan once again produced, directed, wrote and starred in the film.
The young artist’s next films were equally well known. “Forever Laurence”, “Tom”, “Mama”, “It’s Only the End of the World” and the latest – “Matthias and Maxime”.
Dolan is famous for its involvement in the project at every stage of production. The creator is also an editor. Although he can boast of impressive artistic achievements, from time to time he mentions fatigue and discouragement in interviews. Last year, there was speculation that he wanted to end his career.
Dolan took on a new challenge – creating a miniseries. The first two episodes of the series “The Night Laurier Woke” were presented last year at the Sundance Film Festival. Xavier Dolan again took over several functions – creator, director, screenwriter, editor and actor. This is his first series in his career. He based it on the motifs of a theater play by Michel Mark Bouchard.
“I wrote most of the roles with specific actors in mind. It was exciting that I could write roles for actors I had worked with before, but also for those I met for the first time. There is nothing better than making new friends on set. Reunion with old friends and meeting new ones was exciting,” he said in an interview with Interia during an online conference with Polish journalists.
The main roles in Xavier Dolan’s series were played by actors from the original cast of the 2019 show: Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lepine-Blondeau, Eric Bruneau and Patrick Hivon.
What is the series “The Night Laurier Woke” about? It’s a family drama. Elliot, Mireille, Denis and Julien are siblings who will have to face the death of their mother – Madeleine Larouche. Elliot is addicted to drugs. However, he interrupts his rehab treatment so that he can see her alive again. Unfortunately, a mysterious phone call accelerates Madeleine’s agony. The family is in disarray, and an old box found in the garden plunges them into the dark past. Mireille, who has not been seen for 25 years, unexpectedly appears at the house, which causes a stir among the siblings – we read in the Canal+ description.
During a video conference, Xavier Dolan shared his thoughts on the problems raised in the series.
“Self-acceptance. Dealing with loss. With family… Aren’t all these topics an integral part of life? We all have families… different types of families. Whether they are the ones we chose and created. Whether they are our biological families. Deceased or still living . You work on self-acceptance throughout your life. No one is born accepting and loving themselves fully. If there are such people, it may be their flaw. Someone who is too self-confident, who loves himself too much… In society and psychology such people are antagonized,” he said.
Interestingly, he wrote the music for the series “The Night Laurier Woke Up”. Hans Zimmer with David Fleming. Dolan also commented on this aspect.
“I am fully involved in every step of the creation of my project, especially when it comes to the music. There is no aspect of the production of the show that I am not fully involved in. When it comes to the music, I was involved in the process from start to finish. In every scene, every piece,” he concluded.
The premiere episodes of the series “The Night Laurier Woke Up” will be available on the Canal+ Online platform from February 29.
Read more: He played for the greatest directors, but in episodic roles. The French series brought him popularity