Dolan beautifully creates an incredibly personal & poignant, hopeful & contemplative movie which in its very essence captures the complexities of the normalcy of people's lives, regardless of their remarkablility, status or situation, illustrating how our mistakes can often act as a catalyst to inspire future generations to unburden themselves of the same insecurities. It's about authenticity, honesty, dignity & perseverance in the face of oppression, additionally acting as a wider criticism regarding the intolerance & prejudice present within the wider film industry.

This is a film which is unafraid to ask a LOT of questions & equally, is also bold enough to answer them with an impressive amount of potential original & refreshing statements - so I won't even speculate about all the possible discussions to be had as this review would surely transpire in to a passionately verbose theological seminar.

Undoubtedly, the pacing of the film is inconsistent & the story is messy but this merely reflects the untidiness of events as they unfold; things aren't pristine, nothing's perfect & instead of chasing the concept of faultlessnes, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan revels in its imperfections: the unapologetically campy cheesiness & the overly sentimental ponderous philosophical interactions. None hindered the viewing experience as it's so joyously confident & daring.

Try as i might, i just cannot (yet) join the Xavier Dolan appreciation society. Even here, when he has amassed a fairly decent box-office cast, the film is still lacking. Far too much emphasis goes on the look of the film, the style of the photography - intimate, exposing; the soundtrack frequently potently accompanying the storyline - but therein lies my problem. The story. What story? Is this just only ever going to be notable because Kit Harrington kisses a man? Sadly, this offered me little else to engage with. The story is told by way of an interview by disinterested journalist Thandie Newton with a twenty-one year old "Rupert Turner" (Ben Schnetzer). His tale is interesting - as a child, he entered into what turned out to be a long term letter-writing relationship with a television heart-throb. The young boy (rather well played here by Jacob Tremblay) is living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in Britain where he is struggling to settle in - without a father, and with his own sexuality. It transpires that, though never disclosed in their long period of written exchanges, the eponymous character was also a man of conflicted sexuality. Those are the bones of the story, but it is remarkably devoid of flesh or characterisation as it lumbers along past the two hour mark. I would single out a really potent cameo from Sir Michael Gambon - perhaps the only particularly pertinent sentiment i took from the script, otherwise I am afraid this promises much but delivers little.

It is often amazing to discover a film that leaves such a profound impression never made it to the attention of the public, not to mention its lack of consideration for awards. THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONAVAN is such a film, as written by director Xavier Dolan and Jacob Tierney. The story is extraordinarily creative and the cast is of the highest order.

The title of the book that is the core of the film - Letters To A Young Actor - indicates the intimacy of the story: Rupert Turner is an 11-year-old lad who corresponds with John F Donovan, a heartthrob actor known best for his television series Hellsome High who died alone and unexpectedly from a drug overdose following scandals.

One plot summary hints at the course of the film: In 2017, Times journalist Audrey Newhouse (Thandie Newton) interviews actor Rupert Turner (Ben Schnetzer) about his recently published book Letters to a Young Actor. The book collects letters he received from John F. Donovan (Kit Harrington),an actor he corresponded with as a child and who died from a drug overdose. In a flashback to the mid-2000s, Turner is a child actor who is bullied by his homophobic schoolmates. He idolizes Donovan, who plays the lead character in the teen drama series Hellsome High. The tabloid press frequently speculates that Donovan is gay and closeted; when gossip regarding Donovan soliciting male prostitutes makes headlines, his correspondence with Turner is made public, sparking malicious speculation about the nature of Turner and Donovan's relationship. Donovan writes his final letter to Turner, and dies shortly after. In the present, Turner says he does not know whether or not Donovan's death was related to the scandal. Newhouse muses that she initially dismissed Turner's book as "mishaps from the First World," but has reconsidered based on their meeting.

The submersion into the lives of both Rupert as a child (Jacob Trembly) and as an adult (Schnetzer) and Donavan is often like a reflection in the mirror of conflicted lives. Moments of special note are the conversations between Donavan and his mother (Susan Sarandon),Donavan and an old man in a diner (Michael Gambon),Donavan and his agent (Kathy Bates),Rupert as a child with his mother (Natalie Portman) and Rupert as an adult with Audrey(Newton) are beautifully acted and directed. Other excellent roles are offered by Jared Keeso as Donovan's brother, Chris Zylka as Donovan's 'date', among others.

This is one of the most satisfying films of the past few years. Xavier Dolan and his mighty cast deserve our attention.