Dolan won't show next film at Cannes, rejects trolls

Quebec director Xavier Dolan won't be showing his next film at Cannes but wants people to know it's because of timing, not because he's still raw over the critical reception Juste la fin du monde received at this year's festival.

In a post on his Instagram account, Dolan, 27, explains that the reason he won't submit his next film, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, to the film festival is because it won't be ready in time.

The post also details the "culture of trolling" around creative works, which has left the young director exasperated.

Juste la fin du monde opens in Quebec on Wednesday but was first shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won the Grand Prix prize despite receiving harsh criticism along the way.

At a news conference Monday for the film, Dolan said he is upset about the liberties critics are taking when they attack him personally under the guise of criticizing the work.

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One reviewer, Jessica Kiang for The Playlist, called the film "the work of a sulking, self-conscious teenager." Vanity Fair film writer Richard Lawson called it "the most disappointing film at Cannes."

"It's always been extremely pertinent for me to read the reviews," Dolan said.

"The difference this year is that I didn't get the impression I was reading critiques of my film. I got the impression I was reading critiques of myself. It was very painful."

Juste la fin du monde is based on a play by Jean-Luc Lagarce about a man who returns home after a long absence, only to tell his family that he is about to die.

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