‎It's Only the End of the World (2016) directed by Xavier Dolan • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

It's Only the End of the World

2016 ‘Juste la fin du monde’ Directed by Xavier Dolan

It would have been a lovely family dinner. If it weren't the last.

Louis, a terminally ill writer, returns home after a long absence to tell his family that he is dying.

Gaspard Ulliel Vincent Cassel Marion Cotillard Nathalie Baye Léa Seydoux Arthur Couillard Stephan Dubeau

96 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Marian ★★★★ 1

i really can't complain too much about a movie that has lea seydoux dancing to the numa numa song in dolphin shorts
Review by Lucy ★★★½ 2

me, giving you a tour of my house that resides up xavier dolan's ass: hi mtv welcome to my crib
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 19

Less of a journey/more compact Dolan but just as compelling as the rest of his filmography; a powerful investigation of familial dysfunction and the inability to communicate in the face of stressful or foreign situations. With that being said, I'm honestly surprised that this family didn't start chopping up and cannabilizing one another. MVP: Vincent Cassel.
Review by kevinyang ★½ 16

Congrats to Xavier Dolan, who at 27 has already reached the "let's look back fondly on his older work" stage of his career.
Review by Michael Scott ★★★★★ 13

A heads up for you: critical distance is going to be an issue here. As soon as the credits rolled on Xavier Dolan's (controversial) Cannes Grand Prix winning It's Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde) the world came crashing down. I had to bolt from the cinema. I left friends in their seats. I wrapped myself in music. I walked streets of Sydney using shaking limbs to re-erect walls to hold the flooding tears at bay.

Dolan's film, his sixth and his second working from a play, this time that of French playwright Jean-Luc Lagarce, is an emotionally demanding work. A torrid swell of emotions that draws in, drags under and smothers. It is a…
Review by willa ★★½ 2

xavier............sweetie..........what is this.....

Recent reviews

Review by Enrica Capobianco ★★★

why, sweetheart? @xavier dolan
Review by Omar ★★★½

Vincent Cassel is still one of France's best current actors.
Review by Carl Sandell ★★★★

At first it's a bit disappointing to see Dolan stuck in Mommy mode with the camera firmly stuck a couple inches from his characters' faces. Working with a cast on a different level than usual this quickly becomes a strength though. The story is almost entirely unspoken so all the microreactions in their faces are more expressive than their words. This coupling of elite actors and his intimate camera is wonderfully synergetic.

The suppressed plot also takes full advantage of Dolan's intuitive and overly melodramatic style. It's quite clear what is going on and what isn't said, and all the characters are certainly aware of it. How they deal with their (most likely accurate) assumptions, nostalgia and dysfunctional hangups is…
Review by Rui Ozpinhead ★★½

A deluxe cast offering their usual great performances, but ultimately empty ones. I could swear if it wasn't for the film synopsis, then i could only guess the reason for the younger brother's return home. It's unsubstantial. By the end of the movie i was left without a better understanding of these characters than i was at the beginning.
Review by Adam Vaughan ★★★

Dolan assembles a powerhouse French cast for this play adaptation about a writer who returns home after 12 years to tell his family that he is dying. The family, however, seem unable to communicate effectively. The French-Canadian director has seemingly lost some of his more flamboyant formal tics, which is not altogether a good thing. Some of his other films, like 'I Killed my Mother' and 'Mommy', displayed an irreverence and anarchy that is missing here. Tight framing of faces heightens the sense of domestic claustrophobia and there are some intriguing music choices (O-Zone, for instance). However, this is largely a frustrating film, never reaching a satisfying emotional payoff. The performances though are stellar.
Review by uollano ★★★★★

Con una famiglia così per forza poi uno scappa e non torna a casa per 12 anni
Review by Connor ★★★★★

chill
Review by Brad Hanson ★★★½

Ah good old close framing to indicate how suffocating family can be, classic.
Louis thinks he's got it bad but honestly mate, when I go see my family I end up having to watch Emmerdale, Coronation Street & Eastenders so....
Review by Zahra ★★

what did I just watch,.........
what was the point of this exactly
the whole movie is them shouting at each other and its like just words that don't make any sense