The association of these two movies seems quite random, and it actually is. I just happened to watch them one after the other, which is maybe why I found some (random) similarities and big differences.

Well of course I liked the French one much better, but actually succeeded in falling asleep by the end of Baz Luhrmann's last one. I can't call myself a true Xavier Dolan fan either, but Laurence Anyways I liked, really enjoyed it, even though it is almost 3 hours long. In general I would postpone a time-consuming movie like this until maybe it somehow gets lost and all those precious minutes don't get used up by a single film. But I had the luck of looking at the clock only towards the end, when it didn't really matter anyhow, because the longer it lasted, the more visually and emotionally delighted I felt.

Now Gatsby on the other hand is similarly bright and colourful, the soundtrack was also a pig part of the project and it is a love story as well, but in comparison it felt cold and it got me wondering what other more useful things they could have done with a large portion of the budget, I got the sense of too much for too little. Although I enjoyed the music of Moulin Rouge! and the intention of "modernisation" with contemporary songs, this time I was not impressed. Dolan did a much better job in my opinion and the soundtrack of Laurence is absolutely memorable.

Watching these two consecutively I just couldn't help but notice the enormous difference between the female characters (reference to the changing status of women throughout the century): while Daisy gives the impression of a powerless woman whose fate is written solely by the men in her life, Dolan's (by the way, he is only 24 and has directed three successful movies until now!!) leading ladies are strong and independent. I really liked the character of Fred played by Suzanne Clément and the struggle she experienced between trying to "be normal", conform to society's prescriptions, and staying true to the feelings she had for her (wo)man.

I could go on and on about Laurence Anyways, but instead I urge you to watch it. That is only if you are not a homophob. If you have those kind of reluctances, you would be better off sparing yourself the frustration.

Laurence Anyways