The Quebec director, to whom we owe the CRAZY films, Dallas Buyers Club and the Big Little Lies series, died at the age of 58, US media reported late Sunday evening.
He died in a chalet near Quebec on the night of December 25, one of his sons told Radio-Canada.
His producer partner Nathan Ross delivered the message, as quoted by US media.
“Jean-Marc was a creative, genuine person who tried to do things differently. He was a true artist and a generous and loving person. Everyone who has worked with him can attest to his talent and vision. He was a friend, a creative partner and a big brother. The Maestro will be sorely missed, but it is heartwarming to know that his wonderful style and hard-hitting work that he shared with the world will survive him. “
Jean-Marc Vallée left his mark on the film industry thanks to his works, notably CRAZY in 2005 and Dallas Buyers Club in 2013.
Born in Montreal in 1963, he studied cinema at the University of Montreal (UdeM). After directing several short films, he caught the eye of American producers with Liste Noire in 1995. He moved to Los Angeles and directed the western Los Locos and the erotic thriller Loser Love.
It was only 10 years later, with the feature film CRAZY that his name became known. CRAZY tells the story of a homosexual teenager, played by Marc-André Grondin, and his tumultuous relationship with his father (Michel Côté). The film, which takes place in Quebec during the Quiet Revolution, propels the director onto the international scene and wins numerous prizes, including 10 Genie prizes and 13 Jutra prizes.
After having seduced Quebec film enthusiasts and the whole world, the director was hired by Martin Scorsese, and thanks to Victoria, the young years of a queen, he proved that he could take charge of major Hollywood productions. The feature film won a dozen awards, including an Oscar in the best costume design category.
In 2011, Jean-Marc Vallée directed the drama Café de Flore, and chose the French actress Vanessa Paradis to play the main role. This more personal project was not a commercial success, but was rather well received by the critics.
Its biggest hit is undoubtedly Dallas Buyers Club, released in 2013.
The biopic tells the story of Ron Woodroof, a Texan who contracts AIDS from unprotected sex with drug addicts. He then launched into drug trafficking and distributed them to other AIDS patients through the “Dallas Buyers Club”.
The work received six Oscar nominations, and won three statuettes: best actor for Matthew McConaughey, best actor in a supporting role for Jared Leto and best make-up and hairstyle for Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews.
Only a year after the release of Dallas Buyers Club, Mr. Vallée directed the feature film Wild, an adaptation of the autobiographical tale of the American Cheryl Strayed. Actress Reese Witherspoon plays the writer who, after years of drug addiction and trauma, sets out on the 1,700 km Pacific Crest Trail in search of herself.
After the release of Demolition in 2015, the director left the big screen and co-created the first season of the television series Big Little Lies in 2017, then directed Sharp Objects a year later. Both are broadcast on the HBO platform.
Jean-Marc Vallée told The Globe and Mail in 2016: “Actually, it’s not about television, it’s just about a movie that happens to be seven hours long. We’re talking about filming episodes one, two and three successively like feature films, taking a break of ten days and then starting over with episodes four, five and six … it’s a real marathon, but from the point of view of creativity, the work is identical to that of the cinema. “
In total, Big Little Lies won eight Emmy Awards, including Best Director for a Miniseries and Best Miniseries.