Joan Chen Leads a Tender Queer Drama in Montreal, My Beautiful

Montréal, Ma Belle (He, 2025) Review

For lesbians around the world, there is a shared understanding that your first sexual experience is something unique and often frightening. Though it happens at different times in life, depending on each individual’s circumstances, we can relate to one another in some way. We go to the movies as an escape from the world. Rarely are we given the chance to go through such a real experience in a fictional film. Yet, in only her sophomore feature, writer-director Xiaodan He has crafted an honest, innocent and beautiful film depicting the all too real experience of a repressed middle-aged Chinese immigrant lesbian. A mouthful, yes, but when you watch Montréal, Ma Belle, you will see a woman who is just that, and her story.

Montréal, Ma Belle is He’s love letter to Montréal. This love is told through the story of a middle-aged Chinese immigrant, fourteen years after moving to Canada from China. The film captures the reality of exploring your sexuality later in life, and the repression that comes from a country whose ideals are not fitting for lesbians or other members of the LGBTQ+ community. As her second feature film, what the viewer experiences feels so assured that, without prior knowledge, you might never have guessed such a relatively new filmmaker created this piece of cinema.

Feng Xia (Joan Chen) is a Chinese immigrant wife and mother living in Montreal, Quebec. Having moved to Canada fourteen years prior with her husband, Wang Jun (John Xu), she lives in a small house with her two children. Life might be stable for her family, but something is missing. On a whim, Feng Xia breaks from tradition and falls for a younger Québécois woman, Camille (Charlotte Aubin). Through Camille’s free and vibrant personality, the two uncover truths about each other and their respective realities.

From the moment you are introduced into the world of Montréal, each shot feels simplistic and welcoming. While He has written such a compelling script, it is in the way the film is visually presented that captures our attention. Each shot is crafted with care, allowing you to be drawn into the city itself. She gives us a chance to see her love for Montréal, as an immigrant herself, and to share that with the world. Though Montréal, Ma Belle is about a repressed lesbian’s story, visually it is also about the city and what it allows one to do and become.

Then, the story itself comes from the heart of the writer and the power of Chen’s performance. In fact, so much so that He has mentioned several times how she would never have wanted to cast anyone else once Chen came aboard. The emotion and facial expression Chen brings to the screen is something else. The character of Feng Xia is complex, with many layers to her. A Chinese immigrant first, she is also a repressed lesbian, mother and wife. Though she loves her children, she has never been given the chance to be her true self. She may have lived in Montréal for fourteen years, but after the repression experienced in China, she still carries that mindset. On a chance encounter, she is given the opportunity to experiment. Through Chen’s performance, Feng Xia is brought to life.

Fictional stories do not matter when the real life experience is relatable. Montréal, Ma Belle is completely fictional, all derived from He and her creativity. Yet with Chen at the helm, the audience can immediately understand where she is coming from. As a young lesbian woman, even though Feng Xia is middle aged, I can still see myself in her. Chen brings a shyness in the moments she flirts with Camille, or when the two of them are simply together. For both He and Chen to have been able to craft such a lifelike character truly shows how important building this world and sharing this story is to them.

It is honestly hard to remember Montréal, Ma Belle is fictional. While you can feel the dramatised elements, it is the love He has for Montréal and the passion put into crafting this story that brings it all to life. Through the emotional connections between Feng Xia and the others in her life, her husband, children and Camille, she is given the chance to not only explore her true self, but also hide it.

Montréal, Ma Belle is both a visually engaging journey as well as an emotionally resonant one.

Feng Xia is more relatable for a lesbian audience, yet she still resonates with others. That is where the strength lies. He set out to make one story without thinking of how her audience would take it. In doing so, she crafted something personal and intimate. Montréal, Ma Belle is fresh, familiar, but still new. From its world premiere at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montréal in October 2025 to its recent screenings at BFI Flare in March 2026, Montréal, Ma Belle continues to find its audience.