AFI Fest 2016

There’s no doubt that Xavier Dolan is a talented filmmaker. After receiving wider recognition for 2014’s explosive Mommy, Dolan has returned with his most buzzed-about project yet, It’s Only the End of the World. Based on Jean-luc Garace’s play of the same name, Dolan doesn’t borrow from his own biography this time around, but shreds of his identity and style remain present as he treads into familiar territory with a portrait of a dysfunctional family struggling to make sense of one another. It’s Only the End of the World is certainly far from the director/writer’s best work, straying from the grit and intensity of his original material, but the melodramatic story and the misguided direction ultimately benefit significantly from powerful performances by a stacked ensemble. http://www.cutprintfilm.com/reviews/afi-fest-30-end-world/