Death of the director: Jean-Marc Vallée in 10 key works

Thriller Blacklist, in 1995, to the series Sharp Objects, Jean-Marc Vallée has created an exceptional work that bears the stamp of a unique and singular filmmaker. We take a look back at his formidable career in eight remarkable works.

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Blacklist (1995)

Jean-Marc Vallée had just turned 30 when he directed this first feature film, a good effective thriller in which a prostitute (played by Geneviève Brouillette) gave a judge a list of magistrates who had retained her services. Already at the time, Michel Côté, who played the main role of the film, had noticed the immense potential of this young filmmaker.

CRAZY (2005)

Ten years after the release of Blacklist, Jean-Marc Vallée resurfaces with CRAZY, the masterpiece that truly launched his career. Huge success in Quebec ($ 6 million at the box office), CRAZY has triumphed in the great festivals of the world (Venice, Toronto, etc.), in addition to opening the doors of Hollywood to Vallée. Placed in the context of today, this first line of the film gives shivers: “As far as I can remember, I have always hated Christmas”.

The Young Victoria (2009)

It is thanks to the success of CRAZY that Jean-Marc Vallée found himself at the helm of this ambitious period drama scripted by the renowned Julian Fellowes (Downton abbey) and retracing the early years of Queen Victoria of England. If the film is visually impressive, Vallée admitted afterwards having struggled to impose his mark on it. “Big movies like The Young Victoria, this is not my cup of tea “, had entrusted the filmmaker to the Newspaper two years after the release of the feature film.

Café de Flore (2011)

After the adventure of The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée returns to Quebec to shoot this very personal drama for which he himself wrote the screenplay. Love film set over two eras and starring Vanessa Paradis and Kevin Parent, Café de Flore is part of the continuity of CRAZY, especially in the use of music.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

It is with this overwhelming drama produced with a small budget (around $ 5 million) that Jean-Marc Vallée truly conquered Hollywood. Shot with a handheld camera and in natural light, the film tells the true story of a homophobic Texan electrician diagnosed with AIDS in the late 1980s. Dallas Buyers Club allowed actors Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto to each win an Oscar.

Wild (2014)

Seeing how Vallée was able to get the best out of his actors in Dallas Buyers Club, all the big Hollywood stars now want to work with the Quebec filmmaker. In Wild, a drama adapted from the autobiographical novel by Cheryl Strayed, it is Reese Witherspoon who accepts a counter-employment role in the skin of a young woman in mourning who sets out to walk a 1,800 km trail in the American West. The actress in turn gets an Oscar nomination.

Demolition (2015)

Contrary to Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, this third American film by Jean-Marc Vallée received a mixed reception in the international press. Even if Demolition did not achieve the success hoped for, the Quebec filmmaker has always had a particular affection for this drama on mourning which explores themes already addressed in CRAZY and Café de Flore. “There is a rebellious side in Demolition which reminds a lot CRAZY It’s a very rock film in its energy, its characters, its atmosphere, its rhythm, its editing and, of course, its choice of songs, ”he revealed to us when the feature film was released.

Big Little Lies (2017)

Three years later Wild, Jean-Marc Vallée has re-teamed with actress Reese Witherspoon for the production of this sumptuous and poignant HBO series which also stars Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley. At the height of his art, Vallée portrays with finesse and sensitivity the mechanisms of conjugal violence and the loneliness of a group of stay-at-home mothers. Big Little Lies triumphed at the Emmy Awards and Golden Globes.