52 Films by Women Vol 10. 12. JULIAN (Director: Cato Kusters)

 

Pictured: Julian (Laurence Roothooft) and Fleur (Nina Meurisse) exchange marriage vows in New York as part of Project 22, an attempt to marry in each of the twenty-two countries that permit same sex marriage, in a scene from the Belgian film 'Julian', co-written (with Angelo Tijssens) and directed by Cato Kusters. Still courtesy of Lumière Benelux

Julian begins as a film in which a same-sex couple, Fleur (Nina Meurisse) and Julian (Laurence Roothooft) decide to turn their relationship into a political act and ends as a tragic love story that underlines the need to separate public and private personae. Adapting the memoir of journalist and activist Fleur Pierets, Belgian director Cato Kusters tips the audience off early that there will be no happy ending and intercuts between 2019 New York and scenes that took place earlier. In the 2019 scenes, Fleur is preparing a lecture on ‘Project 22’, her and Julian’s attempt to marry in the twenty-two named countries in which same sex marriage is permitted. In the earlier scenes, we see the weddings that were officiated in Belgium, the Netherlands and New York and the moment in France in which Fleur learns that her wife is unwell.

The film begins at a concert hall with the camera focused on one row in which Julian, wearing a white shirt, is sitting. Kusters has concertgoers walk past her camera, impeding our view, though it is unclear from a spatial point of view why this would happen. The effect is to establish two spaces, one dynamic (the forefront of the frame), the other static (the space occupied by concertgoers including Julian). One senses that Kusters’ intention is for us to want Julian to enter the dynamic space, where she can move freely, as opposed to simply being in her seat. Fleur arrives just as the concert is about to start, passes Julian’s seat but sits behind her, watching her staring at the unseen orchestra. The pair work in different disciplines – Julian Boom, not the name she was born with, is a hydrographer, Fleur is a writer. ‘Project 22’ was conceived as a piece of performance art, the intention of which was to inspire other countries to allow same sex couples to have access to the legal protections and benefits of marriage. A caption at the end of the film tells us that as of 2025, eight years after the project began, 38 out of 196 countries now permit same sex marriage.

The film, co-written by Kusters and Angelo Tijssens, does not discuss the issue of marriage equality. Instead it focuses on documentation, recording the exchange of vows and the moment when ‘you may kiss the bride’. In New York, Fleur starts the kiss before the official (David Coburn) completes his instruction; I guess she already knew her cue. Kusters leaps forward in the time to show Fleur rehearsing her presentation. The audio-visual engineer, cueing her videos, displays on screen footage of Julian in a hospital, our first indication that all will not be well. Fleur is shocked. The engineer immediately cuts the video output. He subsequently apologises and describes the footage as ‘beautiful’. Fleur is distraught. Her expression tells us that the engineer shouldn’t be talking about this private moment; he is intruding on her grief.

Some characters are omitted from the narrative. In one flashback, Fleur drives Julian to Julian’s parents’ home, ostensibly to tell them in person about the wedding. ‘They’re not in,’ Julian tells Fleur. ‘Their car’s not here.’ Julian doesn’t want to wait; it is as if this were a sign. When Julian is ill, there is a discussion as to whether her parents should be informed. Julian made no such request so Fleur and her oncologist friend, Edward (Peter Seynaeve) decide not to invite them to visit as Julian’s condition deteriorates.

The film restages video footage of a giddy and excited Julian performing a version of ‘New York New York’. Julian tells Fleur off for wanting to go back to her laptop. ‘You’re missing the Brooklyn Bridge’. In the next scene, Fleur and Julian stare across the Hudson river. Julian succeeds in teaching her wife to enjoy the moment.

It’s not all plain sailing. Fleur asks her editor for financial support, informing her that the project will take 18 months to complete. ‘I’ll complete all agreed tasks by the end of August,’ she adds. Her editor declines. Fleur creates a budget spreadsheet and shares it with Julian. Rather than ask if they can afford it, Julian declares, ‘This is amazing.’ Later, we see them selling possessions on the street, offering discounts to one passer-by.

Pictured: 'This is amazing!' Julian (Laurence Roothooft, left) congratulates Fleur (Nina Meurisse, right) on her spreadsheet in a scene from the Belgian film, 'Julian', directed by Cato Kusters, who adapted Fleur Pierets' memoir with co-writer Angelo Tijssens. Still courtesy of Lumière Benelux

The ‘proposal’ is a humorous highlight. In bed, while Julian is half asleep, Fleur asks if she would like to be married in twenty-two different countries. ‘Yes,’ moans Julian, barely conscious and eager to return to sleep. Fleur’s idea doesn’t disturb her. Julian later describes Fleur wearing a fur-laden jacket when they met. Fleur insists Julian misremembers; she has no such jacket.

Not every country on the list will allow them to wed. Fleur takes a call from São Paulo and is told that they cannot marry there, the city’s recent [2018] carnival having been considered too controversial; the official appears to be referring to the Vaca Profana (‘Profane Cow’) group, taking a stand against harassment and machismo. Fleur is furious. The French wedding celebrations are curtailed by Julian’s poor health. She is taken to hospital. Fleur is shown brain scans and is informed of Julian’s declining condition. ‘If there is anything we could do here, we would do it,’ the French specialist tells Fleur. An ambulance takes Julian back to Belgium (or so it seems), specifically to Fleur’s parents’ house.

In the flashbacks, Kusters shows Fleur and Julian being intimate with one another; this is surplus to dramatic requirements. Another scene features Julian giving herself a fake beard and moustache. The make-up is as fake-looking as Charlie Chaplin’s black moustache.

In the 2019 sequences, Fleur panics when the contents of her flash drive do not display on her computer. All the video footage appears gone. She rushes to the venue. The engineer offers her coffee, which Fleur declines, then runs a programme. ‘See, 1%,’ he tells her, his coding being able to restore the contents of the disc. I wished she would accept the coffee whilst she was waiting.

It isn’t a spoiler to say that Julian dies. Her death appears off-screen. We hear the arms of her medical bed being locked as she is wheeled out of Fleur’s parents’ house, the sound resembling a gunshot, as if Julian were an animal being put to sleep. Kusters’ camera stays on Fleur.

Pictured: Julian (Laurence Roothooft) in a scene from the Belgian film, 'Julian', directed by Cato Kusters and adapted from Fleur Pierets' memoir. Still courtesy of Lumière Benelux

Will Fleur have the courage to stand in front of an audience in New York and talk about her project? The film gives us an answer before returning to the theatre where the relationship began. Julian is watching the stage intensely. Then as if sensing she is being looked at, turns her head.

The film is both a testament to the strength of Fleur and Julian’s relationship and of the sincerity of their project, to legitimise and destigmatise same sex marriage. For this viewer, it succeeds on both counts.

Reviewed at BFI Flare, National Film Theatre Screen One, Thursday 19 March 2026, 18:00 screening