Review of Mommy (2014) by Richard L — 04 Aug 2015

Perhaps Xavier Dolan's best film yet, and his most difficult to watch. Every moment is full of tension because of the 15-year-old Steve (played with charm to spare by Antoine-Olivier Pilon) who has ADHD and perhaps other behavioral issues. It is never certain when he is going to lash out in violence or some other inappropriate action. HIs mom "Die" (the always fantastic Anne Dorval) is forced to take him back in after he is kicked out of a youth detention center after he causes a fire that badly burns another child. Adding to the stress, she loses her job and her car is totaled. She puts on a brave and hopeful and vivacious face, but she might have some behavioral issues at well, though she is much more high functioning. After Steve nearly strangles her and she escapes to hide in a closet, the woman from across the street, Kyla (the also always fantastic Suzanne Clément), intervenes and seems to have a way with him that calms him down. She soon becomes a part of their routine, providing home-schooling for Steve and another adult to engage with for Die. With Steve, though, his next behavioral outburst might be just a scene away.

Dolan films the movie in a claustrophobic square frame, with huge black bars on the sides on a widescreen TV. Once in a great while, when there seems to be hope that things are turning around for the better, the frame suddenly widens to fill the full rectangle. When it tightens again...

By the end of the film, it was unclear to me what other options were available for this woman and her son. It was also unclear to me exactly what was going on with Kyla, a woman of quirks that suggest a difficult recent occurrence that is never explicitly stated.

Despite the difficult material and the horrifying situation, the movie is full of warmth and humor and sharp dialogue. Dolan dials back his signature artistic flourishes, but only a little, and it is always wonderful to see what he can do with his camera, filters, shots, and editing. After four of his five movies to date as writer/director/editor and sometimes actor (he does not appear in this film) he has become one of my most favorite artists. I'm looking forward to watching Tom at the Farm which comes out in the United States soon, and he is busy working on his next films, including It's Only the End of the World and his English-language debut as director, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.