site search by freefind
MotorBar
Death Of A Ladies’ Man
Death Of A Ladies' Man “Inspired by the late Leonard Cohen’s
  poetic and enigmatic songs, the quirky,
  emotive, dark and uncompromisingly
  tongue-in-cheek movie Death Of
  A Ladies’ Man
sees an alcoholic,
  womanising college professor descend
  into a crazy world of hallucinogenic
  imaginings...”


DIVORCED FROM THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN and remarried, serial adulterer and alcoholic Samuel O'Shea (the ever-reliable Gabriel Byrne: The Usual Suspects; Miller's Crossing) comes home to find his wife Linda (Carolina Bartczakas) playing him at his own game in bed with the youthful Jack (Pat Kiely).

The impending divorce upsets him as he spends Christmas with his teenaged children Layton (Antoine Oliver Pilon: Mommy) and Josée (Karelle Tremblay), their mother Geneviève (Suzanne Clément), and her partner Jonathan (Tyrone Benskin).

Gabriel Byrne is superb
as the alcoholic,
unfaithful and troubled
Samuel. A marvellous
supporting cast revel
in the fantastic imagery.
We were intrigued by
Death Of A Ladies’ Man
and its witty one-liners,
so stick with it...”
Samuel is alarmed to find he is having bizarre hallucinations as Layton's ice hockey match becomes an amazing dance routine to Leonard Cohen. At first, he believes he is drinking too much, but Dr Sarah Savard (Pascalle Bussières) diagnoses an inoperable, terminal brain tumour.

His reality melding with delusion, Sam meets the apparent ghost of his father Ben (Brian Gleeson: Phantom Thread; Frank of Ireland), who died when Sam was young, offering words of comfort and enlightenment.

Drinking with Frankenstein's Monster (Michael Hearn) in a bar and an uncomfortable altercation with a student follows. Finally Sam seeks to find peace from his imaginings in his family's remote cottage in Ireland, working on the book he had always planned to write.

There he meets and falls in love with young Charlotte Lafleur (Jessica Paré: Mad Men; Brooklyn) and believes he is finding himself again. But his happiness is shattered by two unexpected events that bring devastating consequences.

Gabriel Byrne is superb as the alcoholic, unfaithful and troubled Samuel. A marvellous supporting cast revel in the fantastic imagery. We were intrigued by Death Of A Ladies' Man and its witty one-liners, so stick with it. There is also a touching scene where Sam attends an Alcoholics' meeting where everybody ends up laughing and dancing together. Or do they?

Death Of A Ladies' Man is somewhat downbeat, yet optimistic in its approach; with crazy hallucinations and a questionable reality offering much to ponder over. A dark, semi-comedy drama benefiting from a believable cast and the fantastic music of the late, much-missed Leonard Cohen. Matt Bissonnette is clearly a fan. So are we.

Contains a liberal scattering of bad language and scenes of mental health, drug addiction, alcoholism.

Filmed in Montreal, Canada, and on Mweenish Island off the West Coast of Ireland, Death Of A Ladies' Man also features: Natalia Biedik as The Anthem Singer; Stephen Baxter as Layton's Boyfriend; Joel Bissonnette as Brendan; Massimo Cannistaro as The Cab Driver; Norah Guerch as Single Woman; Paul McCluskey as Kevin; and Zahra O'Shea as Death.

Music is by Stephen Runicks; Cinematography by Jonathon Cliff; Producers are: Martina Nilland, Marie-Claude Poulin, Dan Carmody, Corey Marr and Aleksandr Kustinev; Written and Directed by Matt Bissonnette.

Songs Written and Performed by Leonard Cohen: Memories (Music by Phil Spector) | Bird On The Wire | Why Don't You Try | Hallelujah | Did I Ever Love You | Heart With No Companion. The Lost Canadian features Traditional Music with Lyrics by Antoine Gérin-Lajoie and is Performed by Leonard Cohen | Whiskies In The Jar is Performed by Paddy O'Gorman.

* Death Of A Ladies' Man is presented by Blue Finch Film Releasing on Digital Download on 25 July 2022. Certificate: 15 | Running Time: 100 Minutes Approximately.

"Quirky, emotive, dark and uncompromisingly tongue-in-cheek… Death Of A Ladies' Man is somewhat downbeat, but optimistic in its approach; with crazy hallucinations and a questionable reality offering much to ponder over… benefiting from a convincing cast and the fantastic music of the late, much-missed Leonard Cohen" *** Maggie Woods, MotorBar

"A potent blend of comedy and drama" Concrete Playground

"Byrne is at his very best… The film is a must" Far Out Magazine
.