Death of a Ladies' Man

Death of a Ladies' Man (dir. Matt Bissonnette, cert 15) isn't getting a theatrical release in the UK, only streaming. It takes its inspiration from Leonard Cohen songs. Sam (Patrick Byrne) is a Literature professor in Quebec, his second marriage breaking up, his son Layton (Antoine Olivier Pilon) coming out as gay, and he's hallucinating about his dead father (Brian Gleeson) - "a terrible ghost". When the hallucinations affect the day job, the doctor initially discounts a brain tumour - his years of hard drinking would explain a lot - but a scan reveals an inoperable tumour that could affect memory, hearing, vision and motion ("That's a relief; I hardly ever use any of that stuff"). His daughter Josée (Karelle Tremblay), 18, a performance artist, has new boyfriend Chad (Raphael Grosz-Harvey) leading her into bad ways with drugs. That will end badly. The second act has him "reflecting on my life and imminent death" by visiting his childhood home in Galway, still envisioning and conversing with his dead father. The encounter at the local grocery store with Charlotte (Jessica Paré), a French-Canadian woman reading Leonard Cohen's poetry, prompts a "small world" moment, leading quickly into too, too solid flesh moments (the script references Shakespeare as well as Cohen). The shot of a Cohen lookalike as a Buddhist monk miming to Why Don't You Try is definitely "trippy", and the appearance of Charlotte's former boyfriend adds a violent twist to the story. Act 3 has Sam back in Canada at Alcoholics Anonymous, and dealing with Josée's drug addiction. The licence that hallucinations can give to a script has the AA group dancing to Did I Ever Love You? (a late Cohen mash of his ever-raspier voice suddenly transformed into country music). Then comes a Lazarus gag, and Death (with scythe) accompanying Sam on a walk with an old friend, discussing Sam's new book recounting his experiences. The book launch - with his dead dad and others from his hallucinations in the audience - is a triumph, but rudely interrupted by a claim of plagiarism, and a rather more abrupt encounter with death than foreseen. When the number of new films is still quite low, for this not to get a theatrical release even on the arthouse circuit seems strange.

What a quirky film. Byrne does a great job in the lead but his 'father' steals most of the scenes they're in. It is patchy in parts and certainly changes speed and tone when he goes back to Ireland. Not altogether satisfying you can't help but feel it couldn't been better.

It's quirky for sure but....it makes you ponder your own life too...how you are living it and what the end may bring also.. Gabriel Byrne..I think that's all I have to say!

And excellent demonstration of how a piece of art can move you by showing to you a montage of a life getting to an end. In this piece that is shown in a comedic and dramatic way. And in a form of a novel - in chapters, clear passage of time and a nice cadence pace without hurry at all. Leonard Cohen lovers gonna love it. Please watch this!

An excellent film which allows us to watch as a complicated man explores the meaning of life with all its nuances. Thanks to the actors and all who made this film.

Frankly I don't really care about hallucinations (delirium temons) late-stage life-long alcoholics have. I think we can be pretty sure they are less lucid and less interesting than portrayed here. Also my experience alcoholics generally are neither interesting nor productive. What I am certain of is that Leonard Cohen would not appreciate the treatment of the theme his song, really poem, " Death of a Ladies' Man" in this awful film. Finally I think it was a real cop out to go with outside agency when it comes to the final scene with the protagonist, and ignore the reality of his own self destruction. 3/10