There comes a point in many people’s lives when they look in the mirror and realise they don’t quite recognise who they see on the other side, whether for better or worse. In terms of the protagonist of Solo, the ambitious drama written and directed by Sophie Depuis, it is a combination of both. Best described as a character study of an individual who is defined by two separate personas, the film tells the story of a young man named Simon who is relatively happy with his life – he has a loving family that accepts his queerness, and has a steady job at a local Montreal nightclub, where he moonlights as second persona, the ferociously talented performer Glory Gold, who has a reputation for being one of the community’s most gifted young drag queens – but when a new addition to their group arrives and sweeps Simon off his feet, he starts to realize there is a lot more to his identity than he initially anticipated. Depuis has been working steadily for a few years, and while most of her success has been quite subtle, she has established herself as an enormously exciting voice in not only her native Canada, but in global cinema as a whole, with her empathetic and beautiful stories being reflective of her incredible gifts as both a storyteller and visual stylist. Solo contains some truly impressive filmmaking, and whether we fixate on the story, which is focused on examining the experiences of a young man starting to question his identity, or the actual execution of some of her bolder ideas, this film is a masterful exploration of very relevant issues that should resonate with a much broader audience. It is inarguably quite a traditional film in terms of structure (and we can predict many of the narrative beats, since they’re formed along very familiar patterns), but it finds its brilliance not in reinventing the genre, but rather using it in creative ways, which indicate that we are truly in a renaissance of queer cinema, since it is not only starting to become a matter of normalizing these stories, but outwardly celebrating them, which is a joyful and overdue development. A wonderful addition to a steadily growing body of contemporary queer Québécois cinema, and overall a deeply meaningful and insightful examination of identity and individuality, Solo is a truly exceptional achievement.

We have made immense progress as a culture, to the point where films like Solo can exist freely and without any need to soften the blow or distract from any potential controversy. This is an unabashedly and proudly queer film, and all of its conflict feels genuine. There are certainly issues that still afflict the LGBTQIA+ community, and this film never intends to convey the sense that life is particularly easy or free of obstacles now that the world has mostly become more tolerant, at least from a Western perspective. Instead, we find a story that depicts the trials and tribulations of a young man whose queer identity is only one part of his composition, and it is not all that defines him, which is a small but important development in terms of gay characters. Solo primarily functions as an investigation of the intersections that surround identity, and how every individual, whether queer or not, is composed of a range of characteristics that come together to serve as their foundation. The character of Simon is a wonderfully complex individual – he is not defined by a single trait, and instead relishes in his fierce individuality, his ability to march to the beat of his own drum and pursue his ambitions, regardless of the obstacles that stand in his way. His queer identity is never trivialized or treated like it is his own worthwhile trait, even if this is a film that does celebrate the queer community as far as it can without becoming an exercise in fetishizing concepts such as drag (which is undeniably en vogue, reaching new heights of popularity, even amongst heteronormative audiences), which is an important distinction that drives this film and makes it such a beautiful, heartful examination of his journey, which takes many unexpected turns. This doesn’t preclude the film from having some extremely serious conversations, and it is as forthright about examining important issues as it celebrates the more positive aspects. Depuis deserves credit for showing such extraordinary compassion, but also having the restraint to not become too invested in the populist details, instead finding a balance between the various narrative and conceptual elements from which this film is formed.

Solo is a film that essentially depends on the audience’s ability to not only believe in the authenticity of these characters, but actively invest in their journey, which can sometimes be quite difficult when making a film that is as outwardly dedicated to covering a range of emotions, since certain elements can come across as slightly disingenuous if it isn’t executed with the right amount of precise empathy. In this regard, Depuis draws two exceptional performances out of her leads, with Theodore Pellerin and Félix Maritaud (both of whom have previous experience in queer-centric cinema, in both Canada and France respectively) delivering astonishing and heartful portrayals of these young queer men who are on their individual journeys of self-discovery, and who cross paths and teach other other a variety of lessons, some of them more positive than others. Pellerin in particular turns in one of the most impressive performances of the year – this is essentially his film, and every moment he is on screen feels like a revelation, despite this being far from his debut performance or even the role that serves to be his breakthrough (although there is very little doubt that he will raise his profile based on his extraordinary work in this film), making this one of the most authentic and meaningful depictions of queerness we have seen in recent years. Maritaud plays another very important character, starting the film as an engaging, charismatic drag queen that is slightly older than our protagonist, and thus offers him a sense of security and reliability, since the maturity he brings to their friendship (and later their passionate relationship) is drawn from his supposed experience and wisdom – this is until he turns out to be a ferocious manipulator, someone who is willing to destroy relationships with everyone he knows for the sake of progressing his own ambitions, which leads him to become the film’s most unlikable character, but also one of its most memorable. Maritaud and Pellerin have extraordinary chemistry, to the point where the decline of their characters’ relationship is so authentic, we start to feel the fear and uncertainty reflected in Simon as he adapts to heartbreak. The performances are extremely solid, and Pellerin in particular proves to be truly impressive, delivering one of the most spirited portrayals of the past year, and a performance that will likely define his career and showcase the fact that he is a very promising actor with a bright future ahead.

What is objectively quite important to note when discussing Solo is that it may be a film focused almost entirely on gay themes, but it is also a very conventional film that doesn’t aim to do anything particularly revolutionary with these ideas, but instead spends its time carefully curating every moment to be indicative of something slightly deeper, even beyond the conversations around identity, which are ultimately only one part of the film. As much as we can read this film as being about queerness, it is essentially just a single story, and obviously doesn’t represent the entire LGBTQIA+ community – and it is imperative to acknowledge that it never claimed to be all-encompassing or even all that inclusive. It’s telling a single story, and it is actually those themes around the outskirts that are oddly the most resonant, primarily because not everyone can relate to the experiences of being a young drag queen, but we can all attest to feeling the insecurity of growing up, as well as the challenges that come with trying to establish our own identity, which is not always an easy process. Depuis spends a lot of time developing this story to reflect the journey of a young man as he navigates the various challenges that have been levelled against him in his daily life, which is especially concerning considering that he was intent on living openly and without hiding who he was, which is often difficult to overcome for the queer community. We watch as Simon undergoes a lot of change, not necessarily in his identity (which remains solid and reliable, one of the more admirable aspects of the film being that there is never a moment where he questions his sexuality), but in terms of the trajectory of his life. His ultimate realisation is quite obvious, but not any less impressive – he can only learn to love others once he can truly love himself (and for those with an interest in drag culture, this sentiment should be very familiar), and that even enduring broken friendships and toxic relationships can have a positive impact, since it teaches valuable lessons. Solo has many very conventional ideas, but they all feel fresh and invigorating, since they are driven by a sense of true admiration for the community that it represents.

Queer cinema has undergone so much change over the years, and we are now at the point where stories of LGBTQIA+ life can be almost viewed as appropriate for formulaic, by-the-numbers romantic dramas, which may seem like a criticism, but is actually the source of quite a bit of enthusiasm, since it indicates that it is no longer something that has to be subjected to harrowing, complex stories that aim to capture the entirety of the queer experience, in the hopes that it can deliver the major concepts to audiences, who were previously seen to not be all that interested in these stories. Films like this prove that is not the case at all, and that even at their most derivative, there is still value in these stories. Solo is a wonderful film – it follows a similar structure to many other queer films, but in a way that feels genuine, rather than forced. It has a radical sense of humour and a lot of heart (not to mention an extraordinary soundtrack – Depuis curates an incredible array of songs that are not only popular, but tell a story all on their own), and it carries itself with such integrity, dedicated to a premise that is effortlessly simple but also very important. Many young queer people will look at the character of Simon and make some bold realisations – he may not be perfect, and his flaws often seem so enormous that they are on the verge of enveloping him. However, he is happy, living a life in which he is free to be himself, accepted by his family and embraced by his community. He may suffer heartbreak, but the point isn’t that he fell, but rather that he got back up again, and as cliched as a premise as this may be, it is something that many need to be reminded of, since so many queer people are raised to feel a sense of self-loathing, told that they don’t belong. This film actively contradicts those claims, and shows the very clear fact that there is always a brighter day on the horizon, and while the journey there may not always be free of obstacles, the process of overcoming them is often what teaches us the most. Beautiful, funny and very meaningful, Solo is a tremendously powerful and earnest work of contemporary queer cinema, and a worthy addition to a growing body of stories that not only portray the queer experience, but outwardly celebrate these individuals and their colourful, eccentric and beautiful lives.