Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 3, 2025

For those unacquainted with the vast expanses of Canada, there actually is a city called Saint-Narcisse, and if this film might perhaps somewhat comically not be that burg's local Chamber of Commerce's first choice to advertise the locale, that Narcisse part is probably actually more important than where the film's story takes place. It's 1972, and Dominic (Félix-Antoine Duval), a young man who is by the film's very timeframe and his age a Baby Boomer, if of the Canadian variety, exemplifies that age group's often mentioned "me generation" proclivities by basically being in love with himself, a la, yep, Narcissus.

"Self love" takes on a whole new meaning in this intentionally audacious effort from transgressive filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, as a cascading series of previously unknown family secrets suddenly introduces Dominic both to his estranged mother Beatriz (Tania Kontoyanni) but more saliently his identical twin brother Daniel (also played by Duval). Daniel is an acolyte at a local monastery that is perhaps the all male version of the convents seen in any number of so-called "nunsploitation" outings or even more ostensibly mainstream fare like The Devils.

Suffice it to say that at least a little like some of those properties, LaBruce isn't especially shy about skewering religious symbolism, or even in this particular instance Greek myth. This is the very definition of a cult item, and it just as certainly will probably shock and offend some, but for those with perhaps more liberal tastes, Saint-Narcisse is rather darkly comic at times, and LaBruce offers a generally gonzo sensibility that is obviously not taking itself that seriously. Duval is appealing in his dual role, though I think many would be hard pressed to really define any strong character differences between Dominic and Daniel, despite some fitful attempts to draw some.

Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Saint-Narcisse is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Film Movement tends not to provide a ton of technical information with their releases, and that's once again the case here, and there's unfortunately next to no technical information on the IMDb as of the writing of this review. I similarly haven't been able to find much authoritative data online, but this is a rather nice looking digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI. There's a crispness to the visuals that's quite enjoyable, with generally great detail levels throughout. Some of the monastery footage features a predominance (no sexual behavior pun intended) on browns, often with some fairly dim lighting attending, and a few of those scenes can have lesser fine detail levels than the bulk of the presentation.

Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Saint-Narcisse features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options. The surround track nicely opens up a number of sound design elements, probably most noticeably the somewhat cheeky use of Gregorian chant as underscore. But Dominic's travels on his motorcycle and some of the outdoor material when he first meets his mother also have more noticeably spacious accountings in the surround track. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Director Bruce LaBruce


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 3:34)


• Slates (HD; 1:01)


• Saint-Narcisse Trailer (HD; 2:11)

As with many releases from this label, the main menu also has an About Film Movement option that brings up a text box with information. An insert booklet contains anessay by Finely Freibert.

The sleeve has an inner print. The original exclusive Vinegar Syndrome release evidently had a slipcover, but the review copy sent to me did not.

Saint-Narcisse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Considering the plethora of naked male posteriors on display throughout this film, it may be especially appropriate to term Saint-Narcisse's approach as "cheeky". As a pull quote on the back cover of this release mentions, LaBruce is "famous as the master of Canadian 'Queercore'", which may be both an advertisement and warning for various demographics. Technical merits are solid and the supplements enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.