A family dinner can speak volumes, as it can capture a combination of factors that can summarise the family dynamic. with wife Feng Xia (Joan Chen) setting the table and husband Wang (John Xu) waiting for food to be served. But as they settle into their meal, a disconnect is clear: Feng and Wang speak Mandarin while their children speak French. When their teenage daughter Joy (Pei Yao Xu) talks about being in a relationship with a non-Chinese boy, it sparks the film’s affecting themes of interracial relationships and generational differences – as well as foreshadows the emotional conflict of the core relationship in Montreal, My Beautiful (OV: Montréal, Ma Belle).
Set in Montreal, Feng Xia is in a loveless marriage with Wang, who expects her to man their convenience store as he tries to return to a lucative professional role. With menopause and the need for intimacy weighing on her, she embarks on a relationship with Camille (Charlotte Aubin), a young Canadian woman.
Qiaodan He‘s screenplay weaves quiet truths of the immigrant experience within the romance. Feng Xia experiences these difficulties firsthand, from being unable to fluently speak French (relying on Joy to describe personal medical issues) to seeing her peers being spurred to return to China due to a lack of stable, well-paying jobs in Canada. She also is on the receiving end of the latter through Wang’s frustration in being unable to secure work. Yet, his personal experience as an immigrant adds layers to the narrative as he strives to preserve the traditional gender roles – him as the breadwinner, her the submissive housemaker. It is debatable as to whether this lack of personal success is the source of his bitterness but when he takes steps to restrict Feng Xia’s only self-esteem, it all points to toxic masculinity and manipulation.
This is reinforced when the lack of intimacy in Feng Xia’s marriage exacerbates her loneliness. Her husband compares her to a ‘dead fish’ during sex and the only time of physical touch she experiences is through her massage appointments. She even admits that despite her loving her children, she admits that they are not a product of love. Through Feng Xia, He briefly touches on the issue of sex among older women but as the film goes on, the protagonist’s suppressed desires are more than just craving physical intimacy; she wants to be desired – a frankness she cannot admit out loud to anyone but Camille, one of few non-Asian characters in the film, offering Feng Xia an escape not only from the confines of Asian culture but the need to conform to societal pressures.
In her most startling performance to date, Chen encapsulates a myriad of emotions during Feng Xia’s journey of self-reflection. She conveys her sadness with heart and quiet joy with gentleness. Furthermore, her chemistry with Aubin is both sensitive and tender, as demonstrated through a slow close-up seduction scene shows Feng Xia’s reluctance in embracing Camille’s affections. It is an emotionally complex role but Chen more than delivers, with Aubin’s fragility making their relationship all the more endearing.
As He pays close attention to cultural differences and norms through her dialogue, her subtle direction offers visual cues that remind Feng Xia of her restricted life. Chinese trinkets hang from the car mirror when she drives to see Camille. Tense phone calls from her husband tie her to her ‘responsibilities’ and the family convenience store is a mundane and dreary obligation. When comparing these scenes with her interactions with Camille, the difference is clear – whether it is a heart-to-heart in a park or an argument in the street, her scenes with Camille are more than charged than those with her own husband. Therefore, these scenes bring a sense of liberation, as they highlight her much-coveted freedom away from judgement.
Overall, Montreal, My Beautiful is a gentle, thoughtful love story. With Chen delivering a gorgeously effortless performance, Xiaodan He’s drama masterfully shows how LGBTQ stories can have universal resonance with audiences – old or young.
Montreal, My Beautiful is being screened as part of Queer East 2026.
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Director: Xiaodan He
Stars: Joan Chen, Charlotte Aubin, John Xu, Pei Yao Xu
Runtime: 118 minutes
Country: Canada
