Written and directed by Sophie Dupuis, emerging Montreal drag queen Simon must deal with two impossible loves: a passionate, yet destructive affair with Oliver and a cold relationship with his mother, who’s just returned after fifteen years. Starring: Théodore Pellerin, Félix Maritaud, Alice Moreault, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Tommy Joubert, Vlad Alexis and Jean Marchand.
Kicking things off with an all-time great Abba hit is never a bad idea and it perfectly sets things at a high for the fall that lies ahead. Sophie Dupuis picks a vital, poignant subject to explore with Solo by creating such a strong, affecting contrast between the harsh reality of toxic relationships and the overtly colourful, energetic world of drag. It was an excellent choice and one that heightens the atmosphere of the whole film.
One thing to be warned of with Solo is that this is not an easy watch. It’s genuinely difficult viewing at many points all throughout the film. Dupuis’ directorial style does a wonderful jo of capturing the intensity and fracturing nature of the subject. Doing justice to its deeply destructive quality, although it doesn’t quite feel as though justice is done in the bigger picture to bring this story to a strong resolution.
The writing is consistent and employs all of the classic red flags of an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship from very early on. It tackles the subject in a truly organic way and avoids the need to be too direct, the key points arise naturally. However, almost its entire runtime is dedicated to that toxic air and the breakdown of its leading character, Simon (Théodore Pellerin). So, while that in itself has plenty of strengths, it’s not enough to round out the film in a satisfying and resolute manner, leaving it feeling like the credits roll before we truly get to see the end of Simon’s story.
Although, the performances themselves are quite the opposite, they are perfectly satisfying. Théodore Pellerin delivers Simon’s falling apart, piece by piece, with just the right level of emotion and vulnerability. He’s such a sweet, talented character and Pellerin makes sure that his being emotionally destroyed by Olivier (Félix Maritaud) is sincerely painful to watch. Maritaud also does a terrific job deploying that pain, the quality of his performance is undoubtedly earmarked by the deep desire you will have to slap him as he chips away at Simon’s confidence and relationships. These two definitely share the limelight but there’s also a superb supporting cast behind them.
Solo is tough viewing but handles a very relevant topic well. It’s great to see it highlighting all of the key red flags to be aware of for emotionally abusive, controlling and coercive relationships. The ensemble is fantastic, with powerful performances from both Théodore Pellerin and Félix Maritaud. It doesn’t quite come full circle unfortunately, it feels like too much time is dedicated to the pain and not enough to the recovery. It’s well shot and does justice to the topic but is simply lacking that satisfying progression and resolution to take it further.
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