Lilies (film)
Encyclopedia
Lilies is a 1996
Canadian film directed by John Greyson
. It is an adaptation by Michel Marc Bouchard
and Linda Gaboriau
of Bouchard's own play Les feluettes
. It depicts a play being performed in a prison by the inmates.
prison
in 1952. Jean Bilodeau (Marcel Sabourin), the local bishop
, is brought to the prison to hear the confession of Simon Doucet (Aubert Pallascio
), a dying inmate. But Doucet in fact has a very different revelation for Bilodeau: he has enlisted his fellow inmates to stage a play set in 1912, when Bilodeau and Doucet were childhood friends.
, presented by the inmates for Bilodeau and Doucet. Because it is taking place within a prison, the female roles are portrayed by the male prisoners. The young Bilodeau and Simon are performed by younger inmates (Matthew Ferguson
and Jason Cadieux).
The play dramatizes a period during Bilodeau and Simon's childhood in Roberval, Quebec
, when they were both coming to terms with their homosexuality
. Simon has a romantic relationship with Vallier (Danny Gilmore
), while Bilodeau remains repressed and tries desperately to convince Simon to join the seminary
with him. All three are involved in a school play dramatizing the martyr
dom of Saint Sebastian, with Simon in the lead role. The St. Sebastian play's homoerotic undertones contribute to Bilodeau's sexual awakening, which involves an unrequited love for Simon. Bilodeau recognizes the nature of the relationship between Simon and Vallier, and confronts them one afternoon after the rehearsal of the St. Sebastian play. Simon and Vallier attack and subdue Bilodeau, so that Simon can engage him in a derisively passionate kiss. In the middle of the kiss, Vallier's mother, the Countess de Tilly (Brent Carver
) enters the arena, forcing Simon to break off the kiss and flee. Vallier's mother (who is slightly insane) is unperturbed at what she has seen, and has Vallier escort her to the arrival of a Parisian aristocrat arriving in a hot air balloon.
Simon's father is also at the arrival, where Vallier's mother unwittingly reveals to him that she saw his son passionately kissing Bilodeau. In a rage, Mr. Doucet finds Simon and brutally beats him, to the point where he must find medical attention for his wounds. He chooses to see a Parisian doctor staying at the hotel in town (to avoid the town doctor telling his business), and he meets Lydie-Anne (Alexander Chapman), a young Paris
ian baroness. Because of the beating, Simon renounces his love for Vallier and appears to fall in love with Lydie-Ann, eventually becoming engaged to her. However, Vallier's mother, encourages Vallier to attend the engagement party and declare his love for Simon. At the party, it becomes apparent that Simon never stopped loving Vallier and was only using Lydie-Ann to pass as heterosexual. Because her feelings are hurt, Lydie-Ann reveals to Vallier's mother that her estranged husband is living happily in Paris with a new wife and child. She also tells her that she came to Roberval on the recommendation of Vallier's father, and while he mentioned structures and the landscape of the town, he never once spoke of the wife or child he left behind there.
After the party, Simon and Vallier meet for one last romantic encounter. Afterwards, Vallier's mother says that she will be going to Paris, and invites Simon and Vallier to see her off. Instead, she leads them to a place in the woods, where she lies down in a shallow grave and has Vallier strangle her to death. Bilodeau witnesses the murder, and is spurred to confess his love for Simon. When rejected, he sets fire to the room where Vallier and Simon are staying and locks the door, so that they cannot escape. Because there are no windows and no other way to ventilate the space, the two young men are soon overcome by the smoke and heat. Bilodeau is remorseful and returns in time to drag Simon to safety, but leaves Vallier in the room. Bilodeau falsely tells the policemen who have arrived on the scene that Vallier is already dead, so they do not go back to save him, and he perishes in the flames.
Even in the realist scenes, however, female characters in the prison play are portrayed by the male actors portraying the prisoners.
The play's dialogue and acting are deliberately heightened according to stage, rather than film conventions.
s at the 17th Genie Awards
. It won the following awards:
Other Genies for which the film was nominated, but did not win:
The film also won the following awards:
The film was also nominated for the following awards, but did not win:
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
Canadian film directed by John Greyson
John Greyson
John Greyson is a Canadian filmmaker, whose work frequently deals with gay themes. Greyson is also a video artist, writer and activist; he is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches film and video theory and film production and editing.-Background:Greyson was born the son of...
. It is an adaptation by Michel Marc Bouchard
Michel Marc Bouchard
Michel Marc Bouchard is a gay Canadian playwright.Born in Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Quebec, he studied theatre at the University of Ottawa. Bouchard made his professional playwriting debut in 1983 and since then has written some 25 plays...
and Linda Gaboriau
Linda Gaboriau
Linda Gaboriau is a Canadian dramaturg and literary translator who has translated some 100 plays and novels by Quebec writers, including many of the Quebec plays best known to English-speaking Canadian audiences....
of Bouchard's own play Les feluettes
Les feluettes
Les feluettes is a critically acclaimed play written by gay Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard.The play concerns the confession of an aging prisoner to a bishop...
. It depicts a play being performed in a prison by the inmates.
Expository narration
Lilies is set in a QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in 1952. Jean Bilodeau (Marcel Sabourin), the local bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, is brought to the prison to hear the confession of Simon Doucet (Aubert Pallascio
Aubert Pallascio
Aubert Pallascio is a Canadian actor. He is best known for having portrayed Pierre Trudeau in the 1980 film The Kidnapping of the President. He was nominated in 1996 for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Liste noire .- External links :...
), a dying inmate. But Doucet in fact has a very different revelation for Bilodeau: he has enlisted his fellow inmates to stage a play set in 1912, when Bilodeau and Doucet were childhood friends.
The play within the film
Most of the film consists of the play within the filmStory within a story
A story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
, presented by the inmates for Bilodeau and Doucet. Because it is taking place within a prison, the female roles are portrayed by the male prisoners. The young Bilodeau and Simon are performed by younger inmates (Matthew Ferguson
Matthew Ferguson
Matthew Ferguson is an actor born on 3 April 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from the Claude Watson School for the Performing Arts.-Performances:...
and Jason Cadieux).
The play dramatizes a period during Bilodeau and Simon's childhood in Roberval, Quebec
Roberval, Quebec
Roberval is a city on the south-western shore of Lac Saint-Jean in the Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. With a population of 10,544 in the Canada 2006 Census, it is the third largest city on this lake after Alma and Dolbeau-Mistassini.It is the seat of the...
, when they were both coming to terms with their homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Simon has a romantic relationship with Vallier (Danny Gilmore
Danny Gilmore
This page is about the Canadian Actor. For the California State Assemblyman please go to Danny Gilmore Actor Danny Gilmore was born on December 23, 1973 in Canada. He has appeared in a number of films and television shows, starting with his role as Vallier in John Greyson's Lilies . He has also...
), while Bilodeau remains repressed and tries desperately to convince Simon to join the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
with him. All three are involved in a school play dramatizing the martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom of Saint Sebastian, with Simon in the lead role. The St. Sebastian play's homoerotic undertones contribute to Bilodeau's sexual awakening, which involves an unrequited love for Simon. Bilodeau recognizes the nature of the relationship between Simon and Vallier, and confronts them one afternoon after the rehearsal of the St. Sebastian play. Simon and Vallier attack and subdue Bilodeau, so that Simon can engage him in a derisively passionate kiss. In the middle of the kiss, Vallier's mother, the Countess de Tilly (Brent Carver
Brent Carver
Brent Carver is a Canadian actor.Carver is known for a variety of stage and film roles, including The Wars, Kronborg: 1582, Lilies, Larry's Party, Elizabeth Rex, Millennium, Shadow Dancing, and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love...
) enters the arena, forcing Simon to break off the kiss and flee. Vallier's mother (who is slightly insane) is unperturbed at what she has seen, and has Vallier escort her to the arrival of a Parisian aristocrat arriving in a hot air balloon.
Simon's father is also at the arrival, where Vallier's mother unwittingly reveals to him that she saw his son passionately kissing Bilodeau. In a rage, Mr. Doucet finds Simon and brutally beats him, to the point where he must find medical attention for his wounds. He chooses to see a Parisian doctor staying at the hotel in town (to avoid the town doctor telling his business), and he meets Lydie-Anne (Alexander Chapman), a young Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian baroness. Because of the beating, Simon renounces his love for Vallier and appears to fall in love with Lydie-Ann, eventually becoming engaged to her. However, Vallier's mother, encourages Vallier to attend the engagement party and declare his love for Simon. At the party, it becomes apparent that Simon never stopped loving Vallier and was only using Lydie-Ann to pass as heterosexual. Because her feelings are hurt, Lydie-Ann reveals to Vallier's mother that her estranged husband is living happily in Paris with a new wife and child. She also tells her that she came to Roberval on the recommendation of Vallier's father, and while he mentioned structures and the landscape of the town, he never once spoke of the wife or child he left behind there.
After the party, Simon and Vallier meet for one last romantic encounter. Afterwards, Vallier's mother says that she will be going to Paris, and invites Simon and Vallier to see her off. Instead, she leads them to a place in the woods, where she lies down in a shallow grave and has Vallier strangle her to death. Bilodeau witnesses the murder, and is spurred to confess his love for Simon. When rejected, he sets fire to the room where Vallier and Simon are staying and locks the door, so that they cannot escape. Because there are no windows and no other way to ventilate the space, the two young men are soon overcome by the smoke and heat. Bilodeau is remorseful and returns in time to drag Simon to safety, but leaves Vallier in the room. Bilodeau falsely tells the policemen who have arrived on the scene that Vallier is already dead, so they do not go back to save him, and he perishes in the flames.
Conclusion
The play reveals that Vallier's murder is the crime for which Simon Doucet was falsely arrested and convicted. Thus, the play was designed not as Doucet's confession of his sins, but a ploy to extract a confession of guilt from Bilodeau. As a result, Bilodeau asks Doucet to kill him, but Doucet refuses.Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brent Carver Brent Carver Brent Carver is a Canadian actor.Carver is known for a variety of stage and film roles, including The Wars, Kronborg: 1582, Lilies, Larry's Party, Elizabeth Rex, Millennium, Shadow Dancing, and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love... |
Countess de Tilly |
| Marcel Sabourin | The Bishop |
| Aubert Pallascio Aubert Pallascio Aubert Pallascio is a Canadian actor. He is best known for having portrayed Pierre Trudeau in the 1980 film The Kidnapping of the President. He was nominated in 1996 for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Liste noire .- External links :... |
Simon Doucet (older) |
| Jason Cadieux | Young Simon |
| Matthew Ferguson Matthew Ferguson Matthew Ferguson is an actor born on 3 April 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from the Claude Watson School for the Performing Arts.-Performances:... |
Young Bilodeau |
| Danny Gilmore Danny Gilmore This page is about the Canadian Actor. For the California State Assemblyman please go to Danny Gilmore Actor Danny Gilmore was born on December 23, 1973 in Canada. He has appeared in a number of films and television shows, starting with his role as Vallier in John Greyson's Lilies . He has also... |
Vallier |
| Alexander Chapman | Lydie-Anne |
| Ian D. Clark Ian D. Clark Ian D. Clark, CM is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of Toronto, a former Canadian civil servant and former president of the Council of Ontario Universities.... |
Chaplain / Father Saint Michel |
| Gary Farmer Gary Farmer - History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production.... |
Timothée |
| Robert Lalonde | The Baron |
| Rémy Girard Rémy Girard Rémy Girard is a Canadian actor and former television host from Quebec.-Acting career:He played the role of Rémy, the main character, who is dying of terminal cancer, in the Canadian film Les Invasions barbares by director Denys Arcand. This film was awarded the 2003 Academy Award for best... |
The Baroness |
| John Dunn-Hill | Warden |
| Paul-Patrice Charbonneau | Chauffeur, Simon's father, Mr. Doucet |
| Michel Marc Bouchard Michel Marc Bouchard Michel Marc Bouchard is a gay Canadian playwright.Born in Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Quebec, he studied theatre at the University of Ottawa. Bouchard made his professional playwriting debut in 1983 and since then has written some 25 plays... |
Photographer |
| Khanh Hua Benoît Lagrandeur Pierre LeBlanc Jean Lévesque Antoine Jobin Alain Gendreau Simon Simpson Eddy Rios Martin Stone |
Prison Ensemble |
Style
The play-within-the-film is sometimes shot in realistic settings, while others explicitly take place in the prison chapel. Realist scenes segue into prison scenes through visible set changes. After a realist autumn scene, leaves are shown being removed from the chapel floor. The final lovemaking scene between Doucet and Vallier is presented in realist style, but fades into a prison scene when the boat in which the couple are having sex becomes a bathtub in the chapel.Even in the realist scenes, however, female characters in the prison play are portrayed by the male actors portraying the prisoners.
The play's dialogue and acting are deliberately heightened according to stage, rather than film conventions.
Awards
The film was nominated for 14 Genie AwardGenie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
s at the 17th Genie Awards
17th Genie Awards
The 17th Genie Awards were held on November 27, 1996, to honour films released in late 1995 and 1996. They were the second Genie Award ceremony held in that year; the 16th Genie Awards were delayed from the fall of 1995 and took place in January 1996 instead.-Best Motion Picture:*Lilies, Robin...
. It won the following awards:
- Best Motion Picture
- Best Sound (Don Cohen, Keith Elliott, Scott Purdy, Scott Shepherd, Don White)
- Best Costume Design (Linda Muir)
- Best Art Direction (Sandra Kybartas)
Other Genies for which the film was nominated, but did not win:
- Best Direction - John Greyson
- Best Actor in a Leading Role - Danny Gilmore
- Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jason Cadieux
- Best Actor in a Leading Role - Matthew Ferguson
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Alexander Chapman
- Best Adapted Screenplay - Michel Marc Bouchard and Linda Gaboriau
- Best Sound Editing - Janice Ierulli, Donna Powell, Tony Currie, Diane Boucher, Jane Tattersall and Richard Harkness
- Best Original Score - Mychael Danna
- Best Editing - André Corriveau
- Best Cinematography - Daniel Jobin
The film also won the following awards:
- Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film FestivalThe Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
, 1996 - Best Canadian Film - L.A. Outfest, 1997 - Outstanding Narrative Feature
- Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, 1997 - Audience Favorite
The film was also nominated for the following awards, but did not win:
- Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film FestivalThe Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
, 1996 - Golden Leopard - GLAAD Media AwardsGLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
, 1998 - Outstanding Film (Limited Release)