In a gloomy and squalid tenement block in Montreal, a boy lives with his dysfunctional, neurotic and highly strung family. His mind roams free and wild amidst the perversion and chaos that his family life throws at him. There is very little respite from the tidal waves of various problems that seem to constantly afflict one or more of the members of the family. To Leolo, these people might as well be strangers with whom he just happens to share a living space. He obsessively keeps notebooks in which he constructs a parallel universe. This dream world is beautiful, grand, and stars his first love Bianca, the sexy but remote Italian neighbour…

A most extraordinary rites of passage film, director Jean-Claude Lauzon takes the audience on a journey that is in turn intense, funny, surreal and ultimately tragic. LEOLO won the award for Best Screenplay at Vancouver International film Festival. It also garnered the title of Best Canadian Film at the Toronto Film Festival. It features a strong, internationally renowned cast which includes singer Ginette Reno (making her film debut as Leolo’s mother), Julien Guiomar as the grandmother and Maxime Collin as Leolo.

Leolo