On June 27, it premiered on the platform filming the new work of Xavier Dolan. The young Canadian filmmaker, icon of the genre of contemporary author, ventures into the realm of dramatic thriller to tell the story of a broken family. Trauma, resentment and sensitivity come together in “The Night Logan Woke”, a series that illustrates the difficulties people have in communicating and identifying with each other. With others and with yourself.

Dolan’s withdrawal

“The Night Logan Woke” is the first series created, directed and performed by Xavier Dolan. The Quebecer (neighbor of Denis Villeneuve) is known to be one of the favorites of the Cannes film festivalwhere he has been successful since he was 19 with his debut ‘i killed my mother‘ (2019). But before becoming a director, he was an actor.and continues to be, embodying one of the protagonists of his series. He also directed the music videos for ‘Hello’ and ‘Easy on me’ for Adele, adding the experience to its inexhaustible cinematographic and aesthetic taste. Although perhaps inexhaustible is not the most precise term, since Dolan recently announced his retirement as a filmmaker (not an actor). This is how this latest work comes from the hands of an innate talent, author of films such as ‘Mom‘ (2014) or ‘Mathias and Maxime‘ (2019).

family secrets

The series, consisting of five one-hour episodesadapts the piece of the same name by Michel-Marc Bouchard. Years before, in 2013, Dolan had already adapted the same author with ‘Tom à la ferme’. This time, the filmed narrative includes the original cast of the play, including Julie Le Breton, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Éric Bruneau or Patrick Hivon; in addition to his favorite actress, Anne Dorval.

The story follows the members of a family in two stages. Alternating the present with the past, they discover the secrets and reasons why the relationship between them is so complicated.. With just five chapters, Dolan handles it all a story arc that shines for many things. Especially for the depth of the characters. and their interpretations. Main or secondary, no one gets rid of the beautiful calligraphy of Quebecers, which manages to maintain the tension in each chapter. SO, Mystery and suspense are added to a very neat aesthetic who reopens old wounds with brutal honesty.

Xavier Dolan

all about my mother

But not all are mistakes of the past. Xavier Dolan dominates time with a leisurely rhythm that succeeds. Especially, when this is modified with high tension scenesfruit of the screenplay he signed with Michel Marc Bouchard. The soundtrack is not left out either, composed by David Fleming and Hans Zimmer himself. Right from the credits, with a melody reminiscent of the buzzing of a fly, the score warns us of the mystery we are about to discover. A dark haze that draws inspiration from the aesthetics and past of filmmakers like TarkovskyGus Van Sant or Almodovarwith which Dolan is often compared.

Although the Spanish director shares a recurring theme with the Canadian, the relationship of a mother with her children, (remember ‘Maman’ or ‘I killed my mother’, often linked to ‘all about my mother‘), this series goes in another direction. A journey influenced by visual and taste sensitivity of Dolan. In ‘The Night Logan Woke Up’, drama turns into suspense and that, in turn, becomes a sincere, raw and very well told story.

Between music and cinema, she came to Madrid from Vigo to study journalism and audiovisual communication at Carlos III University. Legend has it that he preferred skipping school to go to a premiere, although if you ask him, he’ll deny it.

She came to writing Fotogramas as an intern, having immersed herself in music and film journalism collaborating with outlets such as Milana magazine. He has interviewed the likes of Jonás Trueba and Irene Escolar and his most prized asset is a guitar pick. He lives in love with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Nora Ephron. If you can’t find him, he’s watching a Kurosawa movie. It doesn’t matter when you read this.