NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Virginia Film Festival.
The first film by Canadian auteur/enfant terrible Xavier Dolan came at the age of 19, titled I Killed My Mother for reasons that would become startlingly clear. Essentially a primal scream of pure rage with Dolan himself in the lead role, it was an exploration of an incredibly complex mother/son relationship, one fueled by betrayal, disappointment, and hate. At only 25 years of age, Dolan's fifth film Mommy shows not only an emotional maturity beyond his years, but his evolution as a filmmaker. Brimming with energy, this intoxiciating, vibrant film is filled with the stuff that makes life....life. Heartbreaking, joyous, sad, and glorious, Mommy is pure exhilaration, the kind of film that will have those unfamiliar with Dolan racing to find his other work.
How good is this film? Let's just say I never thought Oasis' "Wonderwall" would fill my heart with the kind of happiness it does in Mommy, during what can best be described as a montage. Dolan uses them to tremendous effect here, not as a time-saving plot device but in a way that captures real emotional growth. Dolan shows blossoming technical acumen in his use of sound, score, and even the 1:1 aspect ration, which is used through at least 95% of the film, only changing at moments best left discovered for oneself, but boy are they grand. Dolan stays behind the camera for this, with the incredible Antoine Olivier Pilon playing his surrogate as Steve, a violently ADHD-afflicted 14-year-old in Montreal. The title character is Diane or "Die", played by Dolan favorite Anne Dorval. From the moment we meet Die we think we have her pegged. Middle-aged former beauty, arrogant, provocative, and certainly profane; and yes she's all of those things but so much more. She's also a widow of three years, and at the outset she's being informed her teenaged son Steve (Pilon) is being kicked out of the detention facility for setting a fire that badly burned another person. At first we think her initial hesitation at getting her son back is that he'll cramp her style, but then we meet him and find out the real reason. Steve is a handful; unpredictable, given to moments of genuine kindness one moment, deadly violent outbursts the next. Socially he's pretty much unviable, capable of extreme racism, sexism, and cruelty at the slightest provocation. He'd be too much for a mother with all the time in the world, but not for Die who is barely capable of taking care of herself it seems.
Immediately we're enthralled by the nature of their high-wire relationship. They argue, fight, make up, reveal kindnesses, resembling siblings more than a mother and son. And their battles are intense, abusive and often frightening, but there's a deep love in there that Dolan never keeps too far out of reach. Into this volatile situation enters a calming influence in their mousy neighbor, Kyra (Suzanne Clement), on "break" from her job as a school teacher for what we are left to assume is depression. Whatever the inciting incident, it's left her introverted and stuttering, which Die and Steve are more than happy to make fun of...at least initially. But the two women get along better than either could have expected, quickly becoming sisters with Steve as their emotional anchor. Kyra agrees to home school Steve, and while we think he'll bully her into submission she shows an unexpected fire that puts him flat on his ass in one especially memorable scene. The entire film is full of surprises, with characters we've grown comfortable with revealing new layers as the story progresses, keeping us gleefully on our toes.
It all sounds like the plot of some sitcom: "A mom, her boy, and the shy neighbor", but this is too audacious of an effort by Dolan to ever be simplified in such a manner. Beyond just the bold music choices, which include a number of glossy pop hits you'd never think to have genuine emotional heft, but also in the messy and uncomfortable relationship between Steve and Die. Of course he's dangerously possessive of his mother while idolizing his late father, and his energy around her borders on incestuous. Naturally this means any man trying to date her is due for a rude awakening, which causes a huge rift between the pair. He needs her love to survive, achingly telling her "I'm afraid you'll stop loving me". For all his bravado and swagger, Steve is still a child, with all the fears that come with it. And Die, who has shirked her maternal responsibility for so long, comes to realize that a mother's love for her son isn't something that just goes away. Her every action, no matter how devastating, and trust that there are some decisions she makes that are truly heartbreaking, is done out of love for Steve. There are some incredible highs, and when the trio are together expanding one another's horizons Mommy is a film that absolutely soars. But it's just as quickly a punch to the gut that will leave you doubled over with anguish, a lot like life. Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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