Review of Mommy (2015) by Martin G — 11 Feb 2015

An emotional experience that I haven't had at the movies in quite a while. This is a film of intense beauty and incredibly dimensional characters. Mommy envelops you in the world of its characters and depicts the power of human connection like no other film I can remember.

Xavier Dolan films Mommy in a 1:1 aspect ratio, which you've likely never seen before. It seems that this would be jarring, but not as much as you'd think, and works extremely well, in fact. Cutting off the wideness allows the characters to accompany larger portions of the frame, their bodies and heads are unobstructed by their surroundings. This is a film about deep human connection between a mother and her ADHD son, and they later welcome a neighbor into this world. It really is a whole other world that these characters occupy. One that's sometimes like a fantasy, or an escape, but one that's full of love. The square frame boxes us into their world.

Watching these characters thrive in their world is a wonderful thing to see. The acting in this film is astonishing. The connection between the mother and son would not be so affective without the performances of Anne Dorval and Steve O'Connor Després. These actors create strange, four-dimensional characters whose remarkable chemistry makes you feel like they've experienced the world together. Their connection is its own language. From far away they might look unstable and strange, but from up close we can see that no relationship is more loving or beautiful. Also great is Suzanne Clément as the neighbor who finds herself becoming an unexpected part of this family.

Dolan uses music in a unique way, with pop songs representing these characters lives. This is not Dolan putting in his iPod, as it might first seem, but is instead what the characters would play. Other noticeable stylistic choices are his use of slow motion and montage. These are used to capture the moments, or the essence of the moments of the characters, which is what Dolan is all about.

The relationship between mother and son is important for the plot, and the film certainly tributes it, but the emotional power of the bond can be applied to any relationship. Dolan's film is like an homage to isolated human connection and spirit, but it's also tragic how this connection struggles to work with the real world.

Although the aspect ratio and artistic style might lead some to think that this movie is not accessible, the storytelling is plenty decipherable. Anybody can enjoy this movie. It doesn't matter what films you like, or what you think you like, this film is driven emotionally, and everyone has emotions, so everyone can enjoy, and I think everyone will. I can't recommend this movie enough. You'd be doing yourself a tremendous favor to see it wherever you can, I guarantee you. It's the most exhilarating, unforgettable, filmgoing experience to surface from 2014.