WINTER BOY: A Review By JACOB SHEVITZ

By Chicago Filmmakers Programming Intern Jacob Shevitz.

In celebration of Pride Month, Chicago Filmmakers is proud to screen the first film in the REELING PRIDE MONTH FILM SHOWCASE presented by MUBI, Christophe Honoré’s WINTER BOY, hosted at our Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema.

Friday, June 2nd, at 7:00 PM CST.
1326 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago

WINTER BOY follows Lucas (Paul Kircher), a gay teenager who is forced to pick up the pieces in the wake of his father's death and moves to Paris to live with his brother and process the tragedy. The young Kircher gives a soulful and movingly brooding performance, spending every second of his screen time trying to ignore his circumstances. Legendary French actress Juliette Binoche stars as his mother, giving an equally moving and powerful performance as she tries to be there for her vulnerable son, but finds it to be challenging and translates that muted frustration perfectly into her acting.

WINTER BOY carries itself with both a fittingly melancholic tone and a crude yet playful sense of humor, reveling in the awkward comedy of the situations it places its characters in while also letting its audience feel the power of its darker scenes. In his latest film, Honoré conjures a dour yet hopeful story of loss, coping, and doing what one needs to do to move on.