Solo: An Exemplary Story About Self Love And Rediscovering Yourself

Director/Writer Sophie Dupuis brings to life a visionary story of a young up and coming drag performer. With stunning lighting and imagery, we follow a young adult as he navigates new love, old and new trauma, in a true caterpillar to butterfly tale.

At first sight

Simon (Theodore Pellerin) is an up and coming star of the Montreal drag scene. When new man Olivier (Felix Maritaud) starts working at the club, the two are drawn almost instantly to each other. They begin a passionate love affair that brings a lot of happiness to them both.

His family readily embraces Olivier when Simon brings him home for the weekly family brunch, and it looks to be a relationship that could stand the test of time.

Simon and Olivier start to do performances together, and, though everything seems great from the start, Olivier begins to start showing Simon his true self, filled with toxicity and lies. Simon becomes trapped in Olivier’s gaslighting, controlling world, and begins to lose himself in the process.

He begins to isolate himself from his family and friends, as he gets more deeply involved.

Simon’s sister Maude (Alice Moreault), a costume designer who normally helps make Simon’s costumes, tries to talk with him about their relationship, as they are normally very close. Simon denies any problems he’s having with or due to Olivier.

When he hears that his birth mother Claire (Anne-Marie Cadieux), a world famous opera singer, is coming back to Montreal for a visit, he is very excited.

Maude, who wants nothing to do with the woman she claims abandoned them, gets upset and refuses to meet with Claire. Simon stays positive though, wanting to spend time with her and have her see one of his performances.

don’t forget your roots

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Things start to unravel after another rejection by Claire. Though she says that she may see his show, she leaves after five minutes of seeing him, even though he expected that they would have dinner.

Olivier starts to get impossible to live with, as his cheating and gaslighting increase, and Simon finally decides that he won’t deal with it anymore. Growing tensions rise between Simon and another performer, who has cheated with Olivier, that explodes into Simon giving up drag and leaving the club.

Deep within the cocoon of darkness that envelopes him, Simon goes inside to recognize and finally feel his past traumas that he hasn’t been able to reckon with before..
Will Simon be able to deal with the loss of his love and take the steps to heal from his childhood, or will he succumb to this darkness, ultimately losing himself and everything he loves?

In all honesty

Solo is one of the most beautiful films I’ve had the pleasure to see all year.

With gorgeous lighting and breathtaking cinematography; unwavering emotional acting and a superbly written script, this film shines with grace and glory.

Pellerin portrays Simon, flowing through his whirlwind of emotions, with such ease and elegance. It allows the audience to experience everything with Simon, instead of just being a simple observer.

He and Maritaud have an effortless, sensual chemistry between them that is so genuine, it sends sparks through the screen, allowing those who know that feeling, to sense it in their own skin.

Cinematographer Mathieu Laverdiere, creates a lush world of artistry, lighting and color that made every scene a lesson in cinematographic genius. It engulfs the audience into the film’s world, making every scene an absolute pleasure to watch.

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Dupuis’s passion drips like sweet nectar throughout this film and everything is perfectly set up
to put audiences at ease and lull us into this beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking character study.

I loved that Simon is fully able to be what and who he is, and have his whole family be supporting, without a single reference of homophobia throughout.

However, I wish Dupuis had dumped Simon’s comment about being “fat” though, as it was completely unnecessary and potentially harmful to others.

I’m so tired of hearing blatant fatphobia in all forms, with its toxic white masculine, racist ideologies. It’s old, discriminatory and a lie. Just dump it altogether, filmmakers.

Other than that, I highly recommend this film for its artistry and how it normalizes gay men and drag in our society, showing that those who are generally “othered”, are actually just like everyone else. We all need love, acceptance and a place to safely be, unapologetically who we are.