This year, Canada’s Oscars
entry comes from young, gay director Xavier Dolan. His fifth film, Mommy, sees Dolan sticking with his love of strong female characters. It’s the story of a widowed French-Canadian mother struggling to make ends meet while managing the explosive temper of her troubled, 15-year-old son with ADHD. Both mother and son find a friend in a next-door neighbor, sympathetic because she’s also a mother. All three leads are excellent, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon (the son) is a promising newcomer, lending his character a potent charisma that attracts the audience despite the accompanying chaos. Dolan’s direction remains playful, especially his heartfelt and well-incorporated use of popular music. The film is a bit long at 139 minutes, but it’s consistently engaging and ultimately soaring. THE WORD: While not as distinctly spicy, Dolan’s work increasingly resembles that of another iconic gay auteur: Pedro Almodóvar. COMING TO: Theaters
By Jonathan Roche
Last modified: July 27, 2017
