Unlike many other movies with a gay theme, this one is very well acted. Young Simon, played by Jason Cadieux, has dark hair, dark eyes, and is drop dead gorgeous. It is easy to see why he is the object of every man's lust. But the one who really caught my attention was Vallier, played by Danny Gilmore. Though pale and a little thin, he is ethereally beautiful. What's more, Gilmore and Cadieux has such an erotically charged chemistry that is not often seen in any cinema. Although not as sexually explicit as some others, the bathtub scene is as sensual as any I've seen.

This is a wonderful movie, one of my favorites. The only down side is that it has such a sad story line.


Entrancing and wonderful!   February 28, 2000
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Lilies is an astonishing, emotional, and surprising story of two gay men's intertwined lives. The director has artfully woven scenes from the past (1912) into the present (1952). Suprisingly, characters from the present who are unrelated to the story of the past are used to portray the characters in the flashback scenes.

The two men's lives are irrevocably changed by the events of the past. Forty years of anger cause one of the men to exact revenge upon the other. The form of revenge, however, is far from typical. It is an emotional, rather than physical, assault upon the antagonist.

Lilies could be categorized as a tragedy. In the end, however, it is also a life-affirming film that will take you for an unforgettable journey.


Amazing as story and art   January 1, 2000
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

We watched this movie with joy and astonishment. Rarely have we seen a piece of work combining story, flashbacks and choreography so synergetically. 5 *'s well deserved. Watch it !


Superb!!!!!!   January 30, 2005
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

After 50 or so reviews there's not much left to say. Nevertheless, after watching this film for the second time (as many of others have pointed out)I came to realize the real value of this amazing movie and felt the absolute urgency to express my feelings about it. For me it is not one of the best "gay movies" I have ever seen. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Period.
The plot and dialog are almost Shakespearean. The incorporation a St. Sebastian last minutes of life (as a play) into the plot of the film gives the movie the perfect strength and passion necessary to understand the feelings of the two main characters. All three main roles played by the young actors are of Oscar caliber. The music is only perfectly represented in each scene and if these were not enough, the dramatic supporting roles of the mother and the Countess are magnificently acted and, at the same time, bring enough "camp" to the movie to make its dark plot histerically funny. Not enough? The art direction and photography are so beautiful that I wish I could get a chance to see this movie in a big screen. I wonder if the makers of "American Beauty" got the idea for the rose petal scenes from the love scene in the bathtub in this movie. Bravo Greyson!!!!!


From the Confessional   March 4, 2006
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

LILIES, based on a Canadian play 'Les feluettes' by Michel Marc Bouchard, has been adapted to the screen by Bouchard and placed in the sensitive hands of director John Greyson, an artist who is able to indulge in surrealism with reality and make it work well. This very beautiful film is cast entirely with men despite the fact that there are women roles in the story. How does he make that work successfully without pandering to artiness? View this little film and make the discovery for your self.

Set in Quebec in a prison, Bishop Bilodeau (Marcel Sabourin) has been summoned form the outside to hear the confession of 'a very sick man' who has been imprisoned for 40 years for a murder. Upon the Bishop's arrival the audience knows something is amiss: despite the atmosphere of the prison as a stage accompanied by choral singing of plainsong (The Hilliard Ensemble) there are props and images that seem out of place in a grim prison. The Bishop is ushered into the confessional booth and when he opens the window to hear confession, the person in the seat is Simon (Aubert Pallascio) the 'very sick' man who has planned for the bishop to watch a play depicting the 40 year old crime - a reverse on the confessional stance.

Through a small aperture in the bishop's now locked confessional, the Bishop is forced to watch a reenactment of the incident 40 years ago when two young boys, Simon (Jason Cadieux) and Vallier (Danny Gilmore) were in love and the young future Bishop (Matthew Ferguson) was jealous of Vallier's attention from Simon and played a key role in 'murder' of Vallier that resulted in Simon's being accused and imprisoned. The atmosphere leading up to this act includes the reaction from the small town's homophobia and to Simon's sexual ambiguity that involves a strange lady Lydie-Anne (Alexander Chapman) who arrives form Paris via an air balloon. It is the interaction of the boys with the townsfolk, the new lady arrival who desires Simon's affections, and Vallier's understanding and self-sacrificing mother Countess De Tilly (Brent Carver) that leads to the fateful death of Simon. How the story ends in the confessional booth reversal is the beauty of the film that must be left unsaid for the drama to affect potential audiences of this movie.

The cast is all male because the whole story is a mise-en-scene, a play within a play, where all parts are acted by the prisoners for the sake of displaying truth to the Bishop. There is no pretense at making the men look like women except for the costumes and this enhances the message of the story. The actors are excellent and the impact of the story is powerful. Yes, this is a highly honored gay-themed film, but it is really more about the power of love both in youths and in thwarted adults that makes it a film for all audiences. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06