About Zac and C.R.A.Z.Y.: The movie C.R.A.Z.Y. is about a young boy named Zac who grew up in a close-knit Catholic family in Quebec, Canada in the late 1960s. He is also gay. But there is more to it than just the personal journey of one young man trying to find his own identity. It is also about the other members of the family. If you've noticed about the title, it actually has something to do with the names of the boys- the children in the family. Says the filmmaker:

It's a story of two love affairs. A father's love for his five sons. And one son's love for his father, a love so strong it compels him to live a lie. That son is Zac Beaulieu, born on the 25th of December 1960, different from all his brothers, but desperate to fit in. During the next 20 years, life takes Zac on a surprising and unexpected journey that ultimately leads him to accept his true nature and, even more importantly, leads his father to love him for who he really is. A mystical fable about a modern-day Christ-like figure, "C.R.A.Z.Y" exudes the beauty, the poetry and the madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions.

Insights from Grondin: The young actor was asked about his role and here's an excerpt of the interview conducted by Film Focus:

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Zac's journey is so universal, did you feel a connection to him?

Yeah. Well, I was born in the eighties and I come from a really small family - I have just one older brother - and I'm straight, but when I read the script I felt really close to the character. It is universal, and I've even spoken to women who felt close to the character. He goes through what every teenager goes through; trying to find himself and trying to be different but feeling like he has to be someone else. In normal life I think we've all wanted to feel like someone else; the captain of the football team or the prom-queen. So yeah, I think everybody can relate to that.

And I think the music helps a lot for people internationally to get the movie too. Whether you're in Spain or Italy or London, everybody knows David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

Were you surprised by how big the film was in Quebec?

Oh yeah. I wasn't expecting people to become so involved in this whole journey over forty years that starts in Quebec and goes to Isreal and comes back. There's so much scale to the movie and in the original script it was even bigger. There's so much happening in the movie and it really surprised me watching the movie in theatres and looking at peoples' reactions to it. I was surprised how much they were getting out of it.

I've read through the script so many times that I know them all and I wasn't sure how they were going to play at all so I was very surprised. In my head I thought it was going to be the kind of movie people would either love or hate and I wasn't expecting it to be embraced so universally. All of the critics in Quebec hailed it and then, when we started travelling with it, critics all over the world said the same.

It's always surprising when you're in Norway or Morocco and someone tells you that they saw themselves in the movie - their whole story. Even somebody in Norway told me that her mom was making toast with an iron. I don't even know anyone in Quebec - except Jean-Marc - who does that!

It touched a lot of people to the point that they felt so comfortable with us that they were coming to us and telling us their deepest secrets of their childhood. One guy in his thirties told me that when he was fifteen he lived in a village outside Montreal and his parents found out that he was gay. He said they phoned a priest and they organised an exorcism. Fuck! That was like late-eighties, early-nineties and that's how they reacted to the news that their son was gay? And Quebec isn't like the red states in the US, it's not particularly religious or conservative at all.

But people felt comfortable enough to tell me those secrets; their childhood and memories and stuff. It's really surprising what happens with this movie as we travel.

[ read more of the interview here ]

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Some thoughts and favorite scenes: There are certain coming of age movies that really made such big, big impression on certain people. But for me, I would have to say, aside from Billy Elliot, Goodbye Lenin!, The Believer and Mysterious Skin, C.R.A.Z.Y. ranks among the best.

I love the scene when Zac was born and his Dad dropped him! That's the start of the mystical flavour of the movie. Of course, he survived unscatched! His mother used to worry about him, because he's so different and he always wet his bed, even at an age when young boys are supposed to know where to pee and what to do.

But while his mother love him so dearly, it was really his Dad who loved him so much, that he's always disappointed when Zac did something wrong or unconventional.

There is also a lot of family friction, and brotherly love and competition involved, especially between Zac and one of his brothers Raymond, the one who got involved with drugs. Many viewers would certainly identify with a lot of the characters, even if you come from a small family or from a big family just like Zac's.

Perhaps my favorite scene is when Zac returned from his journey to Europe and the middle east. That's the time when he gave his father the borken album, which he bought from an alley store somewhere in the middle east. His father, played with such conviction and character by Michel Côté, deserved all the acclaim he got from the movie.

I would recommend that you watch this movie and let the performances speak for itself!

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New Movies starring Marc-André Grondin: I'm quite excited to learn that Marc is part of Guerilla featuring Benicio Del Torro, Benjamin Bratt and Franka Potente, among others. It's a supporting role, but the mere fact that he's doing films again is simply awesome news for me.

But the most anticipated movie for me that stars the young actor is called Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie ( The First Day of the Rest of Your Life ), where he plays a rocker named Raphaël.

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What's on your mind? Have you heard of Marc-André Grondin before? Have you seen C.R.A.Z.Y? Let us know what you think!

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Comments (6)

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I saw C.R.A.Z.Y. a few months ago and it was a great film, I didn't understand why the Oscars nominate weak films that year (2005) in foreign picture category like Don't Tell (A soup Opera) or Joyeux Noel, instead that canadian film. nnAll the actors were fantastic and Gondrin's a breakhtough role like Zac. he's talented, handsome, sexy and charismatic. For me he's with Ryan Gosling and Kevin Zegers, one of the most young male acting exports from Canada

Xavi Rodriguez , October 02, 2008

exceptional

First thanks so much for doing this! I think I become more and more impressed with the film as I think about it. There's just so much and it was done with so much taste that it's so wonderful. I love the humanity, and the actual emotion, and the promise of everyone who was in it.

I don't know why but there's something about the Ziggy Stardust scene. It was just so perfect for that period of time, and for his feelings, and the use of Bowie in a film about someone discovering that he's gay was just SO tasteful and elegant in a sort of way. But I also really love just about any scenes with him and his father - especially the one when he comes back and gives the record. I feel like there are so many undertones to the movie.

And in a film with Benicio del Torro and Franke Potente?! A collision of foreign talents in that one!

edelweiss , October 02, 2008

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In "Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie", he plays a rock star, I think this is the second movie that really required him to be at his best. I can't wait to watch this one myself!

jedmed , October 02, 2008

AKA "Canadian Gael García Bernal"

It's nice to see us do a spotlight on Marc-André, merci! Being from Canada, I first heard of the movie C.R.A.Z.Y. (it has a great soundtrack) before even hearing or knowing about the actor Marc-André. It's thanks to you Jed, and tMF that put him on my radar, lol. I do vaguely remember seeing him in passing on a french TV series from Québec years ago. Unfortunately, it seems that there isen't alot of info/interviews on Marc--especially in English.

In Canada, Marc is often known as the "Canadian Gael García Bernal" and I just recently also discovered that in France many have also made comparisons to his striking resemblance to french actor Gaspard Ulliel, which I too can see the resemblance. Perhaps someday, Marc-André and Gaspard could play brothers in a future French or English film!

Xavi, your comment about wondering why C.R.A.Z.Y. wasen't nominated for an Oscar.....if my memory serves me (most times it doesn't though, lol), it seems to me that the film wasen't nominated because all of their funding for the film didn't come from Canada, and I think the Oscar rules for foreign films are that all of the funding has to come from the film's country (I could possibly be mistaken though).

Another film of Marc's that I have on my radar, and I hope to get to see sometime on DVD, is the french Canadian film called La Belle bête (The Beautiful Beast). It's a very dark film, and dark subject matter, but also looks intriguing and Marc plays a complicated character. Jed, since your a fan of Marc and his movies, may I suggest if you can, check this one out. *Nudge*It would also be great if tMF could possibly get an interview with the films director, Karim Hussain (Jed, he's one of our myspace friends) to maybe hear from him about filming and his thoughts on Marc being in his movie.....

Here is the trailer for La Belle bête:http://www.equinoxefilms.com/t...=large.wmv

Jan , October 02, 2008 | url

We always try...

Hi Jan!

Let me try. You know tMF always try! I would love to do an interview with Marc Andre, he seems so intelligent and witty and capable of answering all sorts of questions. lemme see...

jedmed , October 04, 2008

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C.R.A.Z.Y. is one of my favourite films. I saw it for the first time last year & then I also just watched it last night. Marc-Andre Grondin is amazing & I have been meaning to check out some more of his films.

chloe a , October 04, 2008 | url

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