It’s a banner year for lesbians grappling with cancer diagnoses on the indie film circuit, and that’s about as fun as it sounds in “Julian” — a poetic yet confused first effort from filmmaker Cato Kusters.
The drama follows two women on a romantic world trip that turns into a tragedy when one of them suddenly falls ill. Their story is as much about processing grief in the internet age as it is terminal illness, and that’s a fine enough idea. But the set-up that takes it there relies on a warped sentimentality that may edge too close to Obamacore for some queer folks (particularly, Americans) to appreciate right now.
Based on Fleur Pierets’ devastating memoir from 2023, “Julian” stars Nina Meurisse and Laurence Roothooft as the author and her book’s namesake, respectively. A classic lesbian vignette — two hotties locking eyes at a music venue — erupts into a passionate affair that makes the new couple easy to fall in love with. When the pair get engaged, journalist Fleur comes up with a plan to turn their pending nuptials into a global event. She pulls up a spreadsheet to show her future wife, and Fleur explains how they might go around the world getting married. They’ll commit to forever with each other in the countries where they can, and in the process, make a statement about the places where they can’t.
Julian is in for the journey immediately, but Fleur’s editor and some friends take a touch more convincing. This is a big project and it could be hard on them both. Still, the women are determined to create a life-affirming spectacle of their love, and watching Julian and Fleur wed for the first time, the moment is so emotional it nearly makes the wildly over-the-top endeavor seem like it should be a common practice for all lesbians. Who wouldn’t want to say “I do” to their best friend over and over? Especially when someone else wants to keep you apart?
As a matter of execution, the turn that steers “Julian” towards heartbreak is somber but clever. The realization that Julian is battling cancer comes slowly, then seemingly all at once, and it brings the newlyweds’ itinerary to a screeching halt. Unable to travel any further, they eventually lean on Julian’s parents for support and the scenes that show Fleur joining their family are some of Kusters’ best. The director has a knack for honing in on the subtlest facial expression, and the performances she gets from her cast feel wonderfully collaborative. Universal emotion radiates from tear-streaked faces as all four actors exchange a sort of kinetic fear that the loss they’re all too scared of might really be coming.
That part works, but other simple stories about sickness have been told more beautifully — and what should set “Julian” apart in a crowded space slowly undermines what it does well. Living in suspended denial, Fleur digs further into the content plan they had before all of this began. Memorializing your loved one’s life your writing is one thing, but using your work as a distraction to avoid reality is another. The portrayal is sympathetic and mostly leads to an internal conflict for Fleur that’s captured well. But that turmoil gets steadily bleaker and ultimately leaves the women in a place so dark it’s hard to see what Kusters — or even the real author, Fleur — wanted to say about performative hardship.
This is a multi-language film with dialogue that’s in English, French, and Dutch, so maybe something got lost in translation. Still, “Julian” seems to focus on personal accountability for modern queer people at a seriously turbulent time for LGBT rights in a way that’s misguided and ineffectual. Marriage equality is not the only issue facing lesbians interested in world travel, and God forbid your partner gets cancer, there’s more to say about getting into her hospital room than watching her walk down the aisle.
But Fleur’s story is true and you can’t steer the real-life narrative where it didn’t go. Ironically, that suggests the experience probably shouldn’t have been adapted for the big screen at all. Jumping ahead in time, we see the possible widow, her fate not yet clear, scrambling to recover files on a hard drive. It contain footage of her wife unable to get out of bed, and for a moment, you almost dislike Fleur. Poignant and worth telling once, “Julian” should’ve been laid to rest after the tragedy was retold the first time.
Grade: C+
“Julian” premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
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