Originally released in 1996, the sensual gay classic Lilies tells an emotionally intense, suspense-laden tale of love, betrayal and revenge in which one man’s past comes back to haunt him.
Set in a Quebec prison in 1952, the film follows local bishop Jean Bilodeau (Marcel Sabourin), who has been brought to the prison to hear the confession of Simon Doucet (Aubert Pallascio), a dying inmate. But Doucet, in fact, has a very different revelation for Bilodeau: he has enlisted his fellow inmates to stage a play set in 1912, when Bilodeau and Doucet were childhood friends.
For the majority of the film, we watch as the play is presented by the inmates. What we see is a recreation of events from forty years earlier, when Bilodeau and Doucet (played as young men by Matthew Ferguson and Jason Cadieux) were both coming to terms with their homosexuality and found themselves locked in a love triangle with another boy, the beautiful Vallier (Danny Gilmore).
Described by director John Greyson as an homage to both Jean Genet and Federico Fellini, Lilies screened at numerous festivals during the mid-90s, including Sundance, and received major critical acclaim. It was nominated for 14 Genie Awards (Canada’s version of the Oscars), winning four of them, including Best Picture.
Long unavailable on home media, this fascinating gay classic has been recently restored in 4K for a special edition new Blu-ray release from Strand Releasing. This brand-new collector’s item also includes a new interview with the director about the film and its restoration.
Watch the trailer for Lilies below and click here to pre-order your copy. The new Blu-ray will be available starting July 23rd at TLAgay.
