Julian

Full of beauty, warmth, and poignancy, the first feature by Belgium’s Cato Kusters celebrates a true-life love story, one whose impact and importance extends far beyond the two extraordinary people at its centre. It begins with a fleeting but fateful encounter as Fleur (Nina Meurisse) and Julian (Laurence Roothooft) catch each other’s eyes while attending a concert. Soon, the two women are head over heels and thinking about next steps. But an intriguing idea arises during a dinner conversation with friends. In order to raise public awareness about all the places where gay people cannot marry, could it be possible to say “I do” in every country where they can?

Named for the number of nations where gay marriage was legal in 2017, the 22 Project swiftly began to take shape. Yet in spite of Fleur’s formidable planning skills and some early triumphs, the couple’s quest runs into a challenge that neither could have anticipated, one that adds different shades to the brighter colours that had suffused Fleur and Julian’s story.

Adapted from Fleur Pierets’ acclaimed memoir, Kusters’ feature debut possesses an emotional richness and sensitivity that it shares with the films of Lukas Dhont — appropriately enough, the Belgian filmmaker co-produced Julian with his brother Michiel Dhont. The chemistry between Roothooft and Meurisse — a rising French star thanks to her roles in recent films by Céline Sciamma and Boris Lojkine — also helps ensure that Kusters’ remarkable film resonates as deeply and profoundly as it does.

JASON ANDERSON

Content advisory: sexually suggestive scenes