LILIES (1996)

Queer Canadian filmmaker John Greyson’s 1996 adaptation of LILIES, based on the play 'Les Feluettes' which was written by Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard. The play premiered in 1987, it was translated and published in English in 1991, received a film adaptation in 1996, and also turned into an Opera in 2017.

LILIES

1996. Canada.

Director: John Greyson

Screenwriters: Michel Marc Bouchard & Linda Gaboriau

Based on: “Lilies” (1987) by Michel Marc Bouchard

Starring: Jason Cadieux, Matthew Ferguson, Danny Gilmore, Brent Carver, Rémy Girard, and Alexander Chapman

The screenplay was adapted by Bouchard and literary translator Linda Gaboriau, and directed by John Greyson. It is a part of the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s in which queer filmmakers began telling their own stories about queer lives.

LILIES follows a group of imprisoned men who work together with a fellow inmate to create a play about his life. The catch is, the play is meant for one person - a bishop - who is lured there under false pretences to watch and (hopefully) confess his sins.

There are a series of flashbacks, in which the lines of reality are blurred, and the theatrical nature of the acting succeeds in creating some very memorable performances. Men play both male and female roles in the flashbacks to reflect the play being put on by a cast of all male inmates.

Critically, when the film premiered, it was a success and received 14 Genie award nominations (think of them as the Canadian Oscars), winning four: Best Motion Picture, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, & Best Art Direction. LILIES also won Outstanding Narrative Feature at L.A. Outfest in 1997.

LILIES is fascinating story that weaves together a gay love triangle, homophobia, and religious hypocrisy in a truly memorable way that will stay with you. It’s one of my favourite films.

You can find it streaming on Criterion (Canada/USA) & Strand Releasing (USA) – it’s also available on DVD/Blu-ray.