RD in BAHWC

According to Roy Dupuis himself this film is his finest work. The lead role in an outstanding film.

Considered by Roy himself to be his best film work, being at Home with Claude will be a revelation to anyone who has met only Michael, the famous emotion-free zone. Be warned! There’s more raw emotion in any five minutes of ‘Claude’ than in an entire LFN series.

There’s little plot to speak of. Yves, a gay hustler, slaughters his lover Claude in the height of passion

before the titles have even begun. The film, originally a stage play, consists entirely of the final stages

of Yves’ interrogation by the police inspector, made a little more filmic by several black and white

It’s not a comfortable film to watch. As the inspector badgers the uncooperative murderer in search

of a conventional motive, the dialogue, delivered in impenetrable gutter French, ricochets between

the two; tempers flare, old ground is covered and recovered, yet still they stand miles apart in

Then suddenly the pace changes, with a flashback of the night Yves and Claude met. Starting in the

vulgar meat-market of the gay club, it progresses to the moody stillness of the park where a sexually

confused Claude tries timidly to pick Yves up, and continues to the uneasy intimacy of Claude’s apartment.

The experienced Yves guides Claude gently through the process with a sensitivity and tenderness to

match any ‘romantic moment’ in the cinema. It finally resolves into a mesmerising half-hour monologue

by Yves (yes, there’s more Dupuis to the dollar in this film!), resulting in a startling explanation of the

crime, a mixture of equal parts horror and poignancy.

The young (27) RD looks sensational as a sex-machine for hire (sorry ladies, wrong orientation, but,

believe me, it doesn’t matter!), and is allowed ample opportunity (the likes of which regrettably he hasn’t

had since) to showcase his remarkable talent for portraying the profoundest emotions with subtlety and delicacy. Jacques Godin as the grizzled inspector is an excellent antagonist to the young street punk, and

the sultry City of Montreal during the Jazz Festival provides a suitably atmospheric backdrop and score

Being at Home with Claude bears numerous repeated viewings, and is a must for all Roy Dupuis fans.

Go haunt your local gay sources and nag them till they find you a copy.

(Version viewed was in French, with English subtitles. 1hr 30 mins)


	RD in BAHWC 1992 Being at Home With Claude According to Roy Dupuis himself this film is his finest work. The lead role in an outstanding film. Considered by Roy himself to be his best film work, being at Home with Claude will be a revelation to anyone who has met only Michael, the famous emotion-free zone. Be warned! There’s more raw emotion in any five minutes of ‘Claude’ than in an entire LFN series. There’s little plot to speak of. Yves, a gay hustler, slaughters his lover Claude in the height of passion before the titles have even begun. The film, originally a stage play, consists entirely of the final stages of Yves’ interrogation by the police inspector, made a little more filmic by several black and white flashbacks to illustrate Yves’ story. It’s not a comfortable film to watch. As the inspector badgers the uncooperative murderer in search of a conventional motive, the dialogue, delivered in impenetrable gutter French, ricochets between the two; tempers flare, old ground is covered and recovered, yet still they stand miles apart in understanding, getting nowhere. Then suddenly the pace changes, with a flashback of the night Yves and Claude met. Starting in the vulgar meat-market of the gay club, it progresses to the moody stillness of the park where a sexually confused Claude tries timidly to pick Yves up, and continues to the uneasy intimacy of Claude’s apartment. The experienced Yves guides Claude gently through the process with a sensitivity and tenderness to match any ‘romantic moment’ in the cinema. It finally resolves into a mesmerising half-hour monologue by Yves (yes, there’s more Dupuis to the dollar in this film!), resulting in a startling explanation of the crime, a mixture of equal parts horror and poignancy. The young (27) RD looks sensational as a sex-machine for hire (sorry ladies, wrong orientation, but, believe me, it doesn’t matter!), and is allowed ample opportunity (the likes of which regrettably he hasn’t had since) to showcase his remarkable talent for portraying the profoundest emotions with subtlety and delicacy. Jacques Godin as the grizzled inspector is an excellent antagonist to the young street punk, and the sultry City of Montreal during the Jazz Festival provides a suitably atmospheric backdrop and score to this highly charged scenario. Being at Home with Claude bears numerous repeated viewings, and is a must for all Roy Dupuis fans. Go haunt your local gay sources and nag them till they find you a copy. (Version viewed was in French, with English subtitles. 1hr 30 mins)