Mommy
Director: Xavier Dolan
Starring: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clément
103 mins; Class 15;
Eden Cinema Release
At the beginning of Mommy, a series of caption cards explains we are in a ‘parallel’ Canada... a country where parents of unruly children can place them in the custody of the State.
Yet, now, the widowed Diane ‘Die’ Després (Anne Dorval) has to take back full custody of her 15-year-old wild and unruly son Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon), who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), after he attacks a fellow patient.
It’s a struggle for Die to hold down a job, home-school her son and ultimately build a relationship with him; especially considering his volatile and often violent behaviour.
She finds help from the quiet, unassuming and rather strange new next-door neighbour Kyla (Suzanne Clement).
The film, from French-Canadian writer-director Xavier Dolan, won the Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and has gone on to earn strong critical acclaim, most of which deserved.
Interestingly, the director and his cinematographer Andre Turpin used a 1:1 aspect ratio, and the square frame initially takes getting used to, but ultimately proves a unique and strangely intimate take on the story as it unfolds.
Mommy is without doubt a strong piece of cinema, however I confess when a fellow critic asked me what I thought as we were leaving the screening, truth be told, I was in two minds about it.
It is a little overlong and its true emotions take time to register, yet when they do, they are certainly deep enough to linger long in the mind.
Earned strong critical acclaim, most of which deserved
At the time I thought it was a tad over-wrought. A number of scenes, particularly those involving Steve and his angry meltdowns – and there are many – are defined by the level of in-your-face shouting going on, making me wish he had an ‘off’ button.
I felt the melodrama smothered the emotions somewhat and led to a feeling of complete apathy towards him for long periods of time.
Yet, if Dolan is a little self-indulgent in his portrayal of the angrier moments, he makes up for them in the quieter ones, allowing his characters to truly resonate.
If the character of Steve is a little one-note at times, for the most part the young Pilon gives it his all and does eventually succeed in mustering some sympathy, especially in the welcome quieter moments and his interactions with Kyla and his mother.
Clement’s Kyla has secrets of her own, which the actress keeps very close to her chest, making her an introverted character who comes to vibrant life in the company of her new friends.
It is Dorval who lingers longest in the mind, however. She tackles the role of a poor, loud and oftentimes brash mother of her wayward son with the ferocity and love of a lioness for her cubs.
She is equal parts loving, bitter, scared, vulnerable and feisty and it is in her portrayal of the unflinching and unconditional power of a mother’s love – the film’s ultimate message – that the film’s true heart lies.