Mommy (Xavier Dolan)

[Ezee E]

IMDB

[Ezee E]

This movie may have the most discussed stylistic choice for the year.

[Ezee E]

My intro to Xavier Dolan, and I'm definitely intrigued. This dysfunctional family drama is one of the best movies of the year.

Dolan has a few strange techniques here, with a change of aspect ratios throughout the movie that mostly work except when they're really taking attention to itself, and a soundtrack that's dated fifteen years. None of this bothers me a bit, as I was completely compelled by the interaction of the son, the mother, and the neighbor across the street. You never quite know what to expect from any of the leads as they are all capable of exploding at any moment.

[DSNT]

Laurence Anyways took me by surprise. Had a nice balance of style and storytelling. Really looking forward to this one.

[Ivan Drago]

This movie may have the most discussed stylistic choice for the year.

The square frame? I've seen the trailer multiple times now and I'm just as puzzled, cynical, yet very intrigued about it all at once.

[Lazlo]

I thought this was incredible. So emotional, heartbreaking, with some exhilarating moments of joy. Acting is brilliant across the board, aspect ratio drives home the constraints suffered by the characters without being too on the nose. I loved the music [

Show Spoiler

especially the "Wonderwall" and "Born to Die" moments

].

It's in my top five for 2014 but it's technically a US 2015 release (January 23). I think I'll handle it like Ebert handled City of God when it got it's US release in early 2003. He had it on his 2002 list even though it wasn't a US release yet but would be soon, to raise awareness.

[Grouchy]

Wow, this movie is fantastic. It's also my first Dolan, and while I wasn't sure what to expect from the guy's style, it was more energetic and forceful than I'd been given cause to hope for. The soundtrack plays amazingly and, while the weird frame ratio experience will not win any points for subtlety, it works in a film where every performer is portraying a character ready to explode at any moment.

[Philip J. Fry]

• Mommy (Xavier Dolan)

  gooby pls

[baby doll]

J'ai tué ma mère and Les Amours imaginaires are both pretty terrific, but I haven't liked any of the movies he's done since then. Tom Ã* le ferme at least begins promisingly before going off the rails, but Laurence Anyways and Mommy are basically a collection of high-intensity acting scenes in search of a structure, and the 1:1 aspect ratio creates an intense feeling of claustrophobia, especially as nearly every shot is a close-up and the plot is so unremittingly grim and unpleasant. It does a good job of depicting how awful it is to live in a small town in Quebec but to what end?