I had heard about this Xavier Dolan movie several months back and I’ve been stalking the internet ever since on how I could watch it. Well, it’s finally made its way onto several digital services, so I sat down to give The Death and Life of John F. Donovan a watch on Saturday. Sure, it was somber and serious, but I love a good drama, even in this most dramatic time.
The story follows recent superstar actor, John F. Donovan (played by Kit Harington), who seems to have a complicated relationship with everyone in his life. Included on that list are his alcoholic mother (Susan Sarandon), his wife (Emily Hampshire), who seems to be a beard for him, and his “friend,” William. Also on the list of relationships, that were turned complicated, is that of an eleven year-old pen pal, Rupert. The story flashes between Rupert during an interview as an adult in 2017 recounting his relationship with John F. Donovan as a child, and him as an eleven year-old. We don’t get to see a grown up Donovan because it is revealed at the beginning that he’s committed suicide.
Young Rupert gets picked on mercilessly by his classmates because he’s a new American in London, a child actor, and all his classmates thinks he’s gay. Rupert’s mother (Natalie Portman) seems preoccupied while raising Rupert, but it’s clear the two share a very close bond. We flash to John, who is doing well in his career, but he reveals to his brother that he’s got a crush on his new friend, Will. After a tense night at his mother’s house, John ends up hooking up with Will outside of a club. Word gets out, along with the letters he’s been exchanging with Rupert, and all hell breaks loose on is career.
We learn in the last letter that Rupert’s mother never passed on, was that John was just so tired and just wanted to sleep. Present day Rupert confides in the reporter that while John could have committed suicide, he chooses to believe it was accidental. The reporter, who up until the very end was convinced the interview was a waste of her time, finds herself quite enthralled with Rupert’s story and how he’s turned out.
Overall, I quite liked this movie. The pacing was slow, but not in such a way to make it boring. It feed the tone that Dolan was going for, which was somber and reflective. The casting was pretty impressive, and they made great work with the script, and the accompanying soundtrack was incredible. Having never seen Game of Thrones, I had nothing to compare Kit Harington to other than some comedic turns as host on SNL, and my recently reviewed 7 Days in Hell, so it was cool to see a bit of drama from him. The story itself is very intricate, and if you’re up for a good drama, go ahead and give this a watch.