C.R.A.Z.Y (15)

Dir: Jean-Marc Vallée, 2005, Canada (127 min)
Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin, Danielle Proulx

A Quebecois coming-of-age drama set in the 1970s, C.R.A.Z.Y follows a family of five sons as they rebel and compete for the affection of their father, a loving but unrepentantly macho man.
Fourth son Zac’s life is already difficult enough, having been blessed with a messianic gift for healing, but when a series of stolen glimpses and brief encounters lead to confusion over his sexuality, he works out that in the eyes of his dad it would be preferable for him to be a drug-addled dropout than an affront to the hereditary order of masculinity.
The period detail is shot with wit and an obvious affection for the era, and the film’s bizarre digressions offer an eccentric charm, although it tends to meander off-course in a trippy and spectacular fashion. And Zac’s character is never really likable enough to be sympathetic, so the only satisfaction comes from observations that are strictly domestic. Kate Taylor