At the beginning of the month, I had the chance to receive an invitation to the Paris Premiere of Mommy, the new masterpiece of Xavier Dolan. He and his main actor, Antoine Olivier Pilon, came to talk about the film, after a well-deserved 10 minutes standing ovation. Needless to say that this movie, much like his other works, blew my mind away.
Diane “Die” Desprès is a widowed mother who is faced with the difficulty of having to raise her troubled son Steve. Through the outburst of violence and their miscommunication, they’re going to receive help from their mysterious neighbor, Kyla. Together, they’re going to try to find a balance and regain a long lost hope.
I don’t even know how to start this review, how to express how much this movie moved me, and how there isn’t a thing I didn’t appreciate. Everytime I see a movie, especially a drama, there’s always a moment when I am going to try to put myself in a character’s shoes, and try to understand what that character is feeling, or thinking, at a particular moment. That’s why I get so emotional sometimes. With Mommy, I was overwhelmed with emotions from beginning to end.
So I’m going to begin by saying how much this cast is incredible. With the exception of Tom à la Ferme (Tom at the Farm), Anne Dorval and Suzanne Clément are in every single one of Dolan’s movies, and it’s always a pleasure for the audience. Anne plays the role of the mother, like in J’ai Tué ma Mère (I Killed my Mother), but she proved that there is no comparison to be made between the two roles. She keeps reminding us how much of a skilled actress she is, with each movie she makes, going from the most ridiculous comedy to the most serious drama, and always staying perfectly on point. Suzanne Clément as Kyla, the stutter struck neighbor, gave such a powerful performance, expressing so much though her emotions, talking without pronouncing a single word. But the revelation of Mommy is Antoine Olivier Pilon, who delivers a gut wrenching performance as the violent Steve and carries the movie all the way through. He is only 17, but he has a promising acting career in front of him!
What struck me the most in Mommy is the situation, and just how real it can get. It’s all about those 3 dysfunctional beings that somehow manage to balance each other. There is scenes of great violence, like the one where Steve loses his temper against his mother and she’s forced to hide in a cupboard, and it gets under my skin. I felt scared, or excited at times, as if I was in the film. I had the same feeling with Tom à la Ferme, but worse, as the subject is somewhat more disturbing. That’s probably just me, but I felt involved in that story, always wanting more.
Dolan’s biggest strength is his capacity of transcribing emotions through a screen to an audience, and I think it’s no easy task as half the directors today fail to do so. We have a simple story; Dolan actually found it in a newspaper and he gave it a push and made it so incredible to watch. It’s so well executed, from the way it is shot (we go from a 1:1 aspect ratio to a 16:9 one, for example), to the way the dialogues are written, to how the music blends so perfectly with the scenes. This movie is the perfect example of why I go to the movies, and why I love cinema so much.
Mommy is a must see, even if it’s just to discover or rediscover Xavier Dolan’s brilliant mind! Also, Mommy was pre-selected to represent Canada at the Oscars, and I really hope it’s going to get a nomination and win (and if it was up to me, I would give it to him right now!)
Rating: 5/5
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