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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/20/2011:

“LILIES”
Sheer Beauty
Amos Lassen
If you are ever in the mood for a beautiful gay love story this is the movie for you. “Lilies” (Alliance Video) seems to be inspired by “Romeo and Juliet”, forbidden love is the theme. It is gorgeously filmed and photographed, has a haunting music score, beautifully surreal moments and simple tenderness. Quite simply, it is a beautiful film. It is quite sad that the movie has not been more widely seen but now that it is available on DVD. Perhaps it will get the audience it deserves.
To start the film, a prisoner named Simone makes a request that a specific priest comes to hear his confession. The priest is somewhat mystified as to why he is asked to come, goes to the prison and he finds out that he has some confessing of his own to do. He is placed in a confessional and forced to watch a play about Simone’s childhood when he was a student in a Catholic school and involved in a gay relationship with a young guy named Valier. Their love is kept secret until another student, Bilodeau (the priest when he was a teenager), discovers what was going on and confronts them and calls then “diseased”. It turns out that he is the more diseased of the group. As the play progresses, Simones’s father mutilates his sons body when he finds out about the affair and in rage, Simone commits arson. Then a young girl visits the school (a boy actor portrays the girl) and she falls in love with Simone. He plans to marry her but Valier sabotages the engagement party and things just continue to get wilder. This is a movie that transcends gender and is as bold as it is brilliant. The cinematography is luscious and the casting is first rate. The artistic and judicious use of nudity and sexuality beautifully illustrate the dilemmas of private as opposed to public morality. He best and worst of human emotion is vividly portrayed such that I was not sure whether I should laugh or cry or simply yell at the screen with anger.
We all do things we would rather forget and that is what “Lilies” is about. One man’s sin returns to haunt him 40 years after he committed it and the result is both beautiful and heart wrenching. This is a truly remarkable film that has, as I stated earlier, largely unnoticed. It is theatrical and at times it is hard to believe that it is a movie.
By using only males in the film it remains true to the style of drama of the day and the guys who play women are amazingly feminine and it is hard to see them as men especially one actor named Brent Carver, who later went o to be the toast of Broadway when he was in the musical version of “The Kiss of the Spider Woman”—another great movie.
The movie is unbelievably deep as it deals with the lies and the deceptions of “Mother Church”. This is not just about the plight of one man but the story of men and women everywhere who are persecuted for being true to their feelings of love for their own sex. Same-sex relationships here are presented as commitments and not as “tricks” or one night stands. There is trust and pain in loving and heterosexuals do not have a corner of the market on relationships. Here love s portrayed by the struggles faced which are due to the intolerance and rigidity of the church. It is not just a story of gay love but a story of the intensity of love and how consuming and how selfless love can be. This is done by contrasting love with vengeance and regardless of sexual orientation; this is a move that can be enjoyed by all who want to learn about the strongest word in any language.

JANORM wrote on 01/14/2008:

Greyson has taken the Bouchard play to the ultimate Shakespean height of tragedy. He follows all the the precepts and above all never neglects the audience. This totally engrossing work is so complex at times as to be confusing. My recommendation is for a multiple veiwing with a separation of at least 72 to 96 hours.This film will go down in history as one of the very great film noir of this era, comparable to Casablanca. I would like to give it six(6) stars for performance, imagery,

Thomas wrote on 05/09/2007:

This is everything independent film is supposed to be. Superb acting, gorgeous cinematography, a complex plot and a powerful message ... what more is there? This film plugs directly into that deepest part of us which still feels the intense longing for our first love.

marty wrote on 02/22/2007:

I have to confess to having seen this movie in the TLA catalog for years. I picked it up on a whim because it was on sale. No need to add "queer" or "indie" to the description. This is just plain superb cinema.

mikey (michaelangelo0296@yahoo.com) wrote on 02/12/2004:

In the midst of the Birdcages and "In and Outs" on the market, this little Canadian indie film exemplifies perfectly what can be done with gay cinema, regardless of money or starpower. This movie is truly a masterpiece of queer and general cinema alike. To say that the love story was beautiful would be an underestimation. The usage of men to play all roles presents the viewer with a very authentic perspective. You don't watch this movie and think that you are watching a drag performance. These actors truly become their characters and their sex, ultimately, becomes irrelevant. Be warned however that if you intention is to watch a fluffy and cute gay romance, you won't find that in this movie. There is struggle and triumph, heartbreak and ultimately atonement...but there is no happily ever after. I've watched a large amount of queer cinema and general films and this film ranks up there with the best of them. I would recommend this film for any collection. You will be moved, elated and heartbroken when watching this film, but you will not be disappointed.