The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2019)

When Won Kar Wai released his (so far only) English language film critics were not kind.  While I loved much of his Chinese work, I truly enjoyed and loved My Blueberry Nights even though Nora Jones' performance is admittedly weak. American audiences often aren't overly accepting of non-English language directors making English films and it appears the same has happened to Canadian film maker Xavier Dolan.

While I enjoy many of Dolan's films I am not a blind fan. There are some of his films which are miss for me. But I have been excited for his English film debut, the complicated and enigmatic (naturally) story of a closeted actor's pen pal correspondence with a young boy. When the common festival reaction was one of derision, I was a bit nervous. As I said I have not loved all his work. But when he hits it for me he truly hits it. And it wasn't long into John F. Donovan that I knew he had delivered for me again.

Dolan is the kind of film maker that I appreciate because he embraces the visual and narrative natures of the medium making films which are electric to watch visually while challenging to follow in their stories. He doesn't just lay out the plot and then this happens and then that happens. He finds a way to tell a story that focuses on how his characters are feeling and experiencing the world, and films his stories so that we as the audience are flush with emotions as well. All of that is here in John F. Donovan. I personally appreciated the way he frames his main story through an interview with a jaded journalist and a precocious rising star. It gives a (The Usual Suspects-y) air of distrust to the narrative, that we are being told a story that may or may not have happened this way. It allows a sense of mystery to permeate every scene. We question what is being shown to us. Because do we ever know the truth in these things, the lives of our matinee idols?

Written by Dolan and another Canadian I am a fan of, Jacob Tierney, they find a way to express a range of queerness from Tremblay's pre-adolecent otherness, to Harrington's closet, to Schnetzer's confidence. I appreciated the way the film shows us glimpses of the experiences of queer men without making it a gay man 101 experience. The film also creates relationships and connections in a way that isn't typical and straight forward. Both Donovan and Turner's relationships with their families (especially mothers) is opaque, we aren't lead into it obviously. There is stuff to ruminate on here.

Maybe the film isn't perfect. I don't feel Harrington is a strong enough actor to make his central figure completely honest. Dolan has famously said he had a 4 hour cut and while I feel the film works at this length and leaves enough bread crumbs for us to find our way through there are times I wanted more. perhaps there is a director's cut out there that gives even more of an emotional punch to the story. But despite this the film worked for me, the film moved me, the film entertained me.

I would recommend this film to people who want to see films to discuss after, to reflect on. Dolan gives us enough to enjoy but leaves enough out for us to wonder about.

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
Starring: Kit Harrington, Jacob Tremblay, Natalie Portman, Thandie Newton, Ben Schnetzer, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Jared Keeso, Michael Gambon
Director: Xavier Dolan
Writers: Jacob Tierney, Xavier Dolan