C.R.A.Z.Y.

"CRAZY" redirects here. For other uses, see Crazy (disambiguation).

C.R.A.Z.Y.
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Jean-Marc Vallée
Written by	François Boulay Jean-Marc Vallée
Produced by	Pierre Even Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring	Marc-André Grondin Michel Côté Danielle Proulx
Cinematography	Pierre Mignot
Edited by	Paul Jutras
Distributed by	TVA Films
Release dates	Quebec: May 27, 2005 United Kingdom: April 21, 2006 Australia: August 31, 2006
Running time	127 minutes
Country	Template:FilmCanada
Language	French
Budget	C$6,500,000 (estimated)

C.R.A.Z.Y. is a 2005 French-language Canadian film from Quebec. The film was directed and co-written (with François Boulay) by Jean-Marc Vallée. It tells the story of Zac, a young gay man dealing with homophobia and heterosexism while growing up with four brothers and a conservative father in 1960s and 1970s Quebec.

Themes

Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin) grows up in the turbulent Québec of the 1960s and 1970s. The second-youngest son of a father with "more than normal-level male hormones" and raised among four other brothers, Zac struggles to define his own identity, and deal with the conflict between his emerging sexuality and his intense desire to please his strict, temperamental and heteronormative father. One of the film's themes is the waning influence of the Catholic Church in Québec society during the Quiet Revolution.

Plot

Zac is born in the first few hours of Christmas 1960, beginning his narration with "As far as I can remember, I've hated Christmas” and complaining that his birthday always went unnoticed and that he never got what he wanted. At his request, his mother, Laurianne, bought him a baby carriage at age 6, but his father, Gervais, made her return it, telling her it would "turn him into a fairy." Zac asked his mom what a fairy was, and she replied, "Nothing. Hogwash," but as he narrates, he knew exactly what a fairy was and that he didn't want to be one. He brags about his dad to his classmates, adding "For a few precious years, I was his favorite." He describes his three older brothers as “morons” and Raymond as his “sworn enemy”. When the family's fifth son, Yvan, is born, Laurianne lets young Zac push Yvan's stroller around the block once clear of his father’s sight. On Christmas 1967, Zac receives the first of many musical instrument gifts. His dad comes home to find him wearing his mother's clothes and jewelry and talking to baby Yvan as his mother, adding, "I had just turned seven and unwittingly declared war to my father."

Gervais finds his favorite Patsy Cline record, an imported collector's edition featuring the song “Crazy”, smashed into pieces; Zac confesses it was an accident, though he actually despises the record. Gervais confides in his wife that Zac has "changed" and "dresses like a girl”. Laurianne, always defending Zac, says he is “gentle”; Gervais says he's not “gentle” but “soft”. Overhearing them, Zac prays, "God, please don't let me be soft." It is during a nightmare that he first wets the bed and has an asthmatic attack. Laurianne takes him to see "the Tupperware lady," who convinces Laurianne of Zac’s gift for healing people. Zac and his mother both awake when he wets the bed while he is at summer at camp. He prays it won’t show, promising never to miss midnight mass.

In 1975, a musically obsessed, 15-year-old, atheist Zac has kept his promise never to miss midnight mass to appease his mother and silence his father. Zac, his cousin, Brigitte, and her boyfriend, Paul, smoke a joint together, and a shotgun sparks Zac’s sexual attraction to Paul. When Zac confides his desires for Brigitte to Michelle, she moves in for a kiss, but Zac urges her to stop before she "ruins [their] friendship". Zac is ridiculed by Antoine and cheering onlookers for sporting face paint in the style of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane and earnestly singing “Space Oddity”. Arriving home, Raymond changes the TV channel, telling a protesting Zac, "Shut up, faggot." Overhearing this, their father demands Raymond apologize. Zac, although visibly upset by the comment, says, "It's ok, dad," and Raymond leaves, saying "Sorry" directly to their dad. At night Zac prays, "Please, anything but that." Disappointed to learn Brigitte has a new Italian boyfriend, still haunted by the memory of Paul, and hoping to cure his asthma, Zac deliberately runs a red light on his motorcycle. He is struck by a car and hospitalized. Zac later learns Brigitte is back with her old boyfriend, Paul.

Nearly caught masturbating in Raymond’s room, Zac hides and watches Raymond have sex with and sell drugs to a girl; Zac watches the scene repeat from his hiding spot until he is discovered. Zac brags about his brother to his schoolmates. The stories make their way through the principal to Laurianne, who finds Raymond’s stash; Raymond moves out. Toto,"the weirdo," makes a sexual advance toward Zac and begins to follow him. Zac begins a relationship with Michelle, but one day while the two are in the park, he freaks when he notices Toto watching, eventually inciting a violent encounter where Zac beats up Toto at school. His relationship with Michelle causes his father to ease off, to the point of even considering that he spend Christmas and his birthday with his girlfriend instead of with the family, or purchasing him a new stereo; however, Gervais soon finds Zac and Toto stepping out of his car as his son adjusts his crotch. Gervais angrily confronts him, saying what he did was wrong. Gervais asserts to Laurianne that homosexuality is learned and unnatural and determines to strip Zac of it through reparative therapy. Zac says he won't see a therapist, saying there is nothing wrong with him. Zac reveals to the therapist that he and Toto masturbated together in the car but did not touch each other. He stereotypes gays and asserts, "I'm not a fag. I'd rather die." The therapist says Zac's doing so in his dad’s car was a "subconsciously deliberate mistake" so that his father would catch him, find out he was gay and accept it so that Zac himself could accept it. Zac spots Paul at a record shop and leaves immediately, feeling he could be cured of his homosexuality if he could walk home in the blizzard.

At Christmas dinner in 1980, Zac and Michelle's relationship has become much closer and much more physical. Christian announces his engagement, and Raymond’s hostility toward Zac erupts as Zac watches happily. Raymond moves back in with his parents, constantly borrowing money, not returning it, and lying to his parents about staying clean. Outside Christian's wedding reception Zac and Paul are mistakenly viewed as kissing by a passer-by who informs another wedding guest. Gervais overhears, and Raymond starts punching the two gossipers. Gervais confronts Zac in the pouring rain, and Zac confesses that he and Paul were giving each other shotguns. Gervais slaps him, demanding the truth. Frustrated, Zac yells, “Yea, something happened, but not with him! You know with who. Nothing happened earlier, but I would've fucking loved it if something had!" A sobbing, eavesdropping Michelle runs out of hiding. Gervais tells Zac to go.

Zac flies for Jerusalem, sending his mother a postcard, writing "Raymond made me realize something the other day: I've never told you I love you.” Disgusted with himself after a gay sexual escapade in Jerusalem, Zac calls his mother but doesn’t speak to her then walks far into the desert. He turns back but collapses in exhaustion. In the film's second scene of mother-son synchronicity, his mother awakens, splashing water on her face while Zac lies in the desert. Raymond is shown dripping water onto Zac, but it is actually a Bedouin who takes Zac into his care, taking him back into town where Zac spots his father's long-sought Patsy Cline record, noting, "God works in mysterious ways, my mom said.”

Zac arrives home to find Raymond has been hospitalized after a heroin binge. With Laurianne eavesdropping, Gervais admits partial blame for Raymond and Zac's troubles but also admits an inability to redeem himself, adding, "If you think it's a lost cause, that you can't change, I can't accept that." Zac makes amends with Michelle. Finding the LP Zac left for him, Gervais dons headphones and listens, unaware that his wife receives a call that Raymond has died. After the funeral "Crazy" plays as the brothers say their goodbyes to their parents, each seeming surprised to receive a hug from their dad; Zac’s was an especially emotional one for him and both parents. Afterward, Yvan accidentally drops and breaks the record. Zac leaves a marijuana leaf at Raymond's tombstone, which reads “Raymond Beaulieu: 1953-1981”. A noticeably older Zac narrates, "I don't know if it was Raymond's passing, or if time heals all wounds, but my father had become my father once more. Although, it took him 10 years to allow me into his home with a lover, and we've never mentioned our differences since nor Patsy Cline.” The last frames of the film reveal that the letters in the acronym "C.R.A.Z.Y." represent each son by order of birth: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary, and Yvan -- a fact Zac had only recently realized.

Cast

• Marc-André Grondin as Zachary Beaulieu
• Michel Côté as Gervais Beaulieu, the father
• Danielle Proulx as Laurianne Beaulieu, the mother
• Pierre-Luc Brillant as Raymond Beaulieu
• Alex Gravel as Antoine Beaulieu
• Maxime Tremblay as Christian Beaulieu
• Mariloup Wolfe as Brigitte, Zac's first cousin
• Francis Ducharme as Paul, Brigitte's boyfriend and interest of Zac's

Music

Period music is an important element of the film, and a considerable portion of the film's budget was spent acquiring rights for songs by Patsy Cline, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones as well as David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and many others.

The Charles Aznavour song "Emmenez-moi" is repeated over and over in the film, often sung by the father. He also sings another Aznavour song - "Hier Encore", as part of Zac's 20th birthday celebrations.

The title derives from the first letter in the names of the five brothers: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary and Yvan, and also refers to their father's abiding love of Patsy Cline's song "Crazy".

Reception

C.R.A.Z.Y. was a strong box office hit by the standards of the relatively small Quebec market, grossing C$6.2 million. It was very well-received by critics and currently holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At the 26th Genie Awards for Canadian film it won 11 of the 13 awards, and won several awards at the Prix Jutra for Quebec films. It won awards at several film festivals internationally. It was also selected as Canada's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards, but was not one of the films nominated.

List of awards

• Maine International Film Festival, 2007: Winner, Audience Favorite Award.
• Prix Jutra, 2006: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Makeup, Best Hairstyle, Biggest Box Office Success, Most Illustrious Film outside of Quebec
• Genie Awards, 2006: Best Motion Picture, Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design, Achievement in Costume Design, Achievement in Direction, Achievement in Editing, Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Achievement in Sound Editing, Original Screenplay,
• Toronto International Film Festival, 2005: Toronto – City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
• Gijon international film festival (Spain), 2005: Young jury's award (best film), best director (Jean-Marc Vallée), best script (François Boulay), best artistic direction (Patrice Bricault-Vermette)
• Atlantic Film Festival, 2005: Best Canadian Feature
• AFI Fest (Los Angeles), 2005: Audience Award for Best Film
• Marrakech film festival (Morocco), 2005: Jury's prize
• Venice Film Festival (Italy), 2005: accepted

See also

• Cinema of Quebec
• List of Quebec films

External links

• Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group]
• Hays, Matthew, "Going C.R.A.Z.Y.: The story behind Quebec's current box-office triumph"; CBC (October 14, 2005)
• C.R.A.Z.Y. at IMDb
• Film trailer (in French; 512K)