It’s not very often we get a good sex comedy, let alone one that’s also thematically rich, genuinely funny, unafraid of showing some skin, and Canadian. Follies, showing at TIFF 2025, marks the feature directorial debut of Erik K. Boulianne. Starring in and co-writing the film with Alexandre Auger, Follies not only checks one of these boxes, but all four.
Like its director, Follies is a French-Canadian film that pushes the envelope in almost every single way. It’s a raw, heartfelt, and deeply honest exploration of a couple who realize, after a hilarious conversation with a younger couple, that their 16-year marriage has become sexually unfulfilling. To try to course correct, they embark on a sexual journey, exploring an open relationship. Boulianne as François and Canadian actress Catherine Chabot as his wife, Julie, the two couldn’t have more chemistry, and it makes this movie soar, as I never questioned the continued love they had for each other, even when Julie begins falling in love with someone else.
Luckily, the burden of carrying Follies didn’t entirely lie on the lead’s shoulders because the script, particularly the dialogue, is undoubtedly one of the sharpest scripts to come out of this year’s festival. The writing allows for a seamless, organic flow of conversation, capturing the characters’ humanity. The overall result is a sexy movie that’s actually about love, not sex.
The hilarious aspects feel earned as they are rooted in the truth of Julie and François. Little inside jokes, personal jabs, silly insecurities shared don’t come off as bitter but showcase just how well these people know and love each other.
Easily one of my favourite hidden gems of the festival, the film takes you to unexpected places. While the young couple may have made a non-monogamous relationship seem easy and glamorous at the start, they haven’t been married for 16 years with two young children. The stakes are a lot higher for François and Julie, and they quickly learn how fragile and messy it can make things, especially after the two decide to fill in their daughters on the evolution of their marriage.
Julie, who was hesitant to agree to an open relationship, struggles at first to get comfortable with the idea of swinging, which is how they begin their sex journey. On the other hand, François is ready to jump right in headfirst (pun unintended). After multiple attempts at a foursome, Julie expresses interest in exploring relationships with other people separately. That’s where the movie really kicks into high gear, highlighting how fragile their relationship really was due to insecurity.
When it comes to the nudity, it is not grotesque, overused, or salacious in any way. It serves the story, characters, tone, and themes wonderfully, often portrayed in quite funny and relatable ways. Something Hollywood definitely doesn’t like to show is people who look like real people naked on screen, creating self-image issues across multiple generations. I always appreciate and commend movies that capture the romance of sex rather than its physical appeal, and these films usually achieve this by casting people who don’t look like models. Follies does this remarkably well. It’s unsurprising that this film wasn’t produced in the USA.
In the end, Follies is less about sex and more about self-discovery—a hard thing to do when one feels they’ve lost their identity in a long-term relationship. The success of the film truly lies in its brilliant writing and cast, which all work to elevate a genre that audiences usually write off as too raunchy to matter. However, Follies proves why film can be a great space to explore taboo themes when executed with care and emotional intelligence.
Review Courtesy of Ethan Dayton
Feature Image Courtesy of TIFF