Julian

🤩 Julian, dir. Cato Kusters, 2025, Belgium/‌Netherlands, 91 min., in French, English, and Dutch, with English subtitles
Saturday, June 20, 2026, 3:30 PM, Roxie Theater

Julian

Frameline blurb: Fleur (Nina Meurisse) arrives late for the recital, brushing past Julian (Laurence Roothooft [Roothooft, not Roothoft]), fleeting contact that inflames passions between the Belgian women. Their white-hot affair inevitably leads to an engagement, but when friends suggest places to wed where legally they cannot marry, it inspires Fleur and Julian to embark on a performance art project to draw attention to limited LGBTQ+ marriage rights. They plan to tie the knot 22 times, one each in the countries where same-sex marriage is legal when their endeavor begins in 2017. A curveball thrown into their lives short circuits the project but magnifies Fleur and Julian’s devotion.

In her assured feature debut, Cato Kusters adapts Fleur Pierets’ memoir, laying out the couple’s actions, the life-altering challenge they face, but most of all a relationship built “for better or for worse.” The chemistry between Meurisse and Roothoft is mesmerizing, the women’s attraction palpable in this moving, true-life drama of queer activism and everlasting love.

My take: Pay attention to the very opening scene, as it is referenced a couple of times later in the film. The love between Fleur and Julian is palpable, as is the desire to shine a light on how fortunate they are to live in a country where same-sex marriage (SSM) is legal, and how outrageous it is that most people live in countries where it is not legal. The story is set in 2017, when SSM was legal in 22 countries. That number is now up to 38 — almost doubled in less than a decade! — but that’s still less than 20% of the countries on earth. It’s a moving story with a strong message, especially now as forces in the United States are working hard to send that number back down to 37, or ultimately to 0. Must see.

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