Saint-Narcisse (2020) User Reviews

bad, but entertaining

[jc666999 · 4/10 · 28 March 2021]

The most basic elements of the story in this movie are actually pretty good. Twins separated at birth, one living in a monastery raised by a priest that has molested him his whole life and the brother who finds him and wants to reunite with with their mother, whom he just found recently too after he finds she's still alive and was kept in the dark by the grandmother who raised him. Add all the other elements and it starts falling apart. The mother's lesbian romance is barely justified as the reason why her sons were taken away from her. And her adopting of her lover's daughter, who becomes her lover too because she looks just like her is just nonsense. But then it turns out the brothers are incestuous too and they have sex the day they meet. At this points it seems like fetish after fetish horned in the film.

In the end all four of them live in a polyamorous incestuous household, with a new baby and another one on the way. Just what is one supposed to get from that? Are the children going to be brought up to participate in this incestuous household? I have no idea what that was about.

The acting gets to be pretty abysmal at times with stiff line delivery and lack of consistency in the way the two brothers act, both played by the same actor. The editing was pretty bad too with some cheap transitions in between scenes and unnecessary flashbacks through the movie's climax.

All said it was entertaining watching it even if only because you're constantly thinking how everything could've been done better.

If Ingmar Bergman had gotten drunk....

[robtyrrell-98607 · 3/10 · 14 March 2021]

...he might have made a movie like this.

I seriously wish I had done a couple bong hits or shots before watching this. Some of the dialogue might have been more tolerable, or the incomprehensible changes in character motivation might have made sense. It's a pretty twisted tale to start with, but slow pacing and plodding developments don't help. When a movie is only 1 hr 40 minutes, but feels like 3 and a half hours, it's a warning that things are not right.

I know it's supposed to be "edgy" and "shocking", but when it's also so dull that the delicious male nudity barely wakes you up you realize you're strapped in for a rough ride.

not so bad

[Kirpianuscus · 8 March 2023]

The nature seems be the main virtue of this film. Far to be a bad one, it seems too ambitious, reuniting, mixing different themes in eccentric manner, offering a ball of cliches and eccentric fantasies, suggesting improvisation and exploring, in not the most smart manner, old cliches, from Narcisse to Saint Sebastian significance in gay sub culture.

Sure, beautiful details, nice references to classic stories, not uninspired - forced in few scenes - links between erotic and horror. And, no doubts, interesting work of Tania Kontoyanni, not bad try to define his characters - and the seductive body - of Felix Antoine Duval.

So, I admitt, it is not fair or easy to be very critic about this film for me. Sure, not perfect, not brilliant acting but, as admirer of Gothic culture - the thoughts about The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis are the first- , Saint Narcisse is more than decent.

Saint-Narcisse

[jffwro · 7/10 · 23 December 2021]

A film that has a lot of imagination in it's premise. The cinematography is well done. There is a lot of beautiful nature within the film, especially the lake. I enjoyed how the plot of the film was centered around nature and a small town. Andreas Apergis's performance stood out to me. There was depth to each of the characters in Saint-Narcisse as well as to the plot. Each character had traits that could be considered less/more desirable within my estimation, perhaps this was done intentionally. Additionally, I enjoyed the music and how the music complemented each scene (sometimes dreamlike, but the plot draws you back to the course of the film). The ending had me asking one question though. I am glad that Saint-Narcisse was made and that I got to see it.

To serious for it's own good

[henrik-ragnevi · 3/10 · 17 October 2021]

The queer artist Bruce LaBruce has done some entertainment films like The Raspberry Reich, and his movies are often kind of camp where he mixes classical film stereotypes with clichés from gay porn. This film is camp as well, but it feels like it was not intentional. Cause I think that we are supposed to take this story seriously. It feels like an attempt to look cinematic where the director tries to frame the pictures perfectly but doesn't manage to do this as the way it was intended. The script could need an extra rewrite, and I like the promise of the twin brother who meets and catch desire for each other and the mythology of Narcissus.

The movie's sound is kind of a disaster, they seem to have dubbed several scenes after, especially scenes outside, and they sound like they are in a basement, and there is zero engagement in the tones from the actors. Also, the sound effects sound like they are picked from an old cartoon, which isn't helping if the intention was to make the film feel serious.

The material the actors have to work with is not great, but it isn't helping that they are not the best actors either. A great actor can deliver even if they are working with a script that isn't that good.

This film has been described as being controversial, my biggest issue was to keep my focus on the film, and I was checking my watch to see how long that was left. Bruce LaBruce might be relevant two decades ago and have been essential for the queer art cinema, but this film shows that he has stagnation in his artwork, and it hasn't been any progress since then. Luckily it has been for queer cinema as a whole, so there are much better films to watch today.

Sexual perversions galore!

[justahunch-70549 · 2/10 · 30 May 2022]

I'm not sure what to make of this. At times it seems like it wants to be a serious minded film. Other times it seems close to soft porn. The exterior shots are well photographed, but the acting is dismal, though the lead, Félix-Antoine Duval, has charisma and is certainly sexy to make up for his acting deficiency. He sounds dubbed, but he's not. In any event, this is a poorly written film, to put it mildly, but somehow hard to turn off as you cannot help but wonder what will happen next. I fear that makes it sound more interesting than it is. The last scene is laughable.

Yikes! THE EYES OF SAINT SEBASTIAN

[mkragh · 2/10 · 30 September 2021]

Well LaBruce has done it again. Another woeful tale which could have used a good rewrite. The actors do what they can and there are a couple of moments that could have been downright spooky, but the plot is so inane, it cannot suspend disbelief. Plotting is plodding and when at last, you glimpse the eyes of the statue, you just can't help but laugh.

Insightful and bold

[REVVINCENT · 8/10 · 27 January 2022]

I rated this film an '8'. That is because the film touches upon a number of human behaviors and emotions. In that respect, "Saint Narcisse" is bold.

While Dominic struggles with his identity and his homosexuality, his twin Daniel is sequestered in a monastery. Daniel is the chosen lover of the priest/father who runs the monastery.

The homosexual love between the Father and Daniel is a bold representation of the Spirit vs. The flesh. As an ordained graduate Seminarian, I saw the conflict between dominant and submissive forces, with Daniel feeling that he has no option but to submit to the Holy Father, Andrew. Sadly, Andrew represents much of what takes place in monasteries and seminaries, even today. Sex is natural, no matter how unnatural they try to make it. The "forbidden fruit' becomes the fruit most sought after. Then, it becomes a power play.

The merging of the twins Dominic and Daniel, both played by Felix-Antoine Duval, is very well done. Duval has a splendid body, which fact is not lost upon the viewer.

The theme of male and female homosexuality is dealt with, with dignity and delicately. Today, society continues to wrestle with those sexualities, despite their being quite normal to those who are homosexual/ gay / lesbian/bisexual.

There is a clever play off the Cruxifixion of Christ, as well, with the bleeding of Dominic (who has taken Daniel's place). The film does become somewhat confusing at this point, trying to keep track of who is Daniel and who is Dominic.

I may give "Saint Narcisse" a second viewing. While there is a play on the name "Narcisse", I see the film as reaching beyond narcissism. I also enjoy looking at naked Dominic/Daniel!

Brucelabrucelabrucelabruce he is the narcist

[foszen · 1/10 · 25 December 2022]

I look about 250 so called Indie movies a year. I am 60 years old . I finally found the most bad movie ever seen. I even have no power to tell why everone should avoid this movie. Is it for the total lack of inspiration in the story telling, the pace of the movie that even a child at primary school can improve, the irritating repeat of a flash forward in the first 20 minutes, the extreme boring camera angles , the fact that you shall cringe your fingers and toes about the script and meaningless dialogues? I don't know. I pay 10 times the price back for what I for paid to see this 'movie' To anyone who can get my money back from where I bought it.