In a Montreal suburb, a single mother with financial and employment difficulties reunites with her violent teenage son who is being released from a detention centre. More chaos ensues.
It would be very tempting to call this film a "kitchen sink drama". There are many explosive scenes which are cathartic. Most films would have only a few such scenes, maybe only one at the climactic finale. While the catharsis might seem too much, every one of those scenes works well because of the great talent of director Xavier Dolan and his equally talented cast.
There are thankfully lighter scenes that show the love in the dysfunctional family and their ability to have fun especially as they are joined by a mysterious neighbour across the street, Kyla, who seems to have her own troubles. Her troubles seem lessened as she bonds with the unusual mother-son duo. Kyla's situation seems a bit too mysterious at times. As a subplot, it could have used a few hints to tap viewers further into the reasons why she prefers the family across the street to her own.
The film's greatest strengths are two scenes near the end. One is the perfectly executed climactic scene. The other is the one that follows - a very melancholy scene of transition with which most viewers could sadly identify.
As mentioned, Dolan has directed a superb cast. As the troubled teenager, Antoine Olivier Pilon has the perfect balance of rage and vulnerability. As the neighbour Kyla, Suzanne Clément is very believable as someone facing change and loosening up especially when she has fits of uncontrollable laughter. As the mother, Anne Dorval gives Dolan another superb performance as she did with "I Killed My Mother" (2009). Her range in the final two pivotal scenes display true brilliance. - dbamateurcritic
RATING: 9/10
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Performance by Anne Dorval
88% - Critics
89% - Audience
8.0Keywords: parent child relationshipcoming of agedysfunctional familysingle mothermother son relationship
Plot summary
Forty-six year old Diane Després - "Die" - has been widowed for three years. Considered white trash by many, Die does whatever she needs, including strutting her body in front of male employers who will look, to make an honest living. That bread-winning ability is affected when she makes the decision to remove her only offspring, fifteen year old Steve Després, from her previously imposed institutionalization, one step below juvenile detention. She institutionalized him shortly following her husband's death due to Steve's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and his violent outbursts. He was just kicked out of the latest in a long line of facilities for setting fire to the cafeteria, in turn injuring another boy. She made this decision to deinstitutionalize him as she didn't like the alternative, sending him into more restrictive juvenile detention from which he would probably never be rehabilitated. However, with this deinstitutionalization, she has to take care of him which means only being able to do home based work. Despite they always yelling expletives at each other and Steve sometimes demonstrating those violent tendencies toward her, Die and Steve truly do love each other, his emotions which are sometimes manifested as an Oedipus complex especially as he seems to need her complete attention most specifically when it is being directed at possible male suitors. Their lives, both individually and as a family, are affected with the entrance of two of their neighbors. The first is Paul, a lawyer, who does have that sexual interest in Die as he tries to help Steve through his legal problems. The second and more important is Kyla, who lives across the street with her husband Patrick and their adolescent daughter, they who are in transit in their life to wherever Patrick's job will take them. Kyla is a high school teacher on sabbatical as she deals with her own emotional issues, which are manifested in stuttering whenever she feels incapable of dealing with her life. Kyla may find that she needs the Després as much as they need her.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Anne Dorval leads a great cast
Phenomenal
I had heard magnificent things about this 2014 film by Xavier Dolan, and I have to say after getting around to see it for myself that all of the praise is justified.
"Mommy" is anchored by three absolutely phenomenal performances by Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon, and Suzanne Clement. It tells the story of a mother's fierce and at times borderline inappropriate love for her delinquent son and a shy neighbor with a sketchy past who enters their closed circle and bonds with both of them. Dolan plays around with aspect ratios, filming most of the movie in claustrophobic squares and rectangles, but occasionally and gloriously opening up the frame when the troubled youth's world shows signs of promise. The movie explores the impossible and heartbreaking decisions parents must sometimes make for the sake of their children, and the ending Dolan chooses for each of his characters is emotionally stirring in its own unique way.
Grade: A+
volatile performances
Diane 'Die' Després is an outrageous widow struggling with her troubled volatile son Steve after getting kicked out of the detention center. There is a new law to institutionalize disturbed people but Die won't hear of it. Her male boss is gone and the new female boss is immune to her tricks. After a violent outburst by Steve, their mousy neighbor Kyla comes over to help out. She's a teacher on sabbatical suffering from speech problems.
These are volatile performances. At 30 minutes, there is a crazy confrontation that takes the movie to another level. The middle does meander a bit. I think a few violent confrontations would be quite compelling and would add to the reason why Die ultimately does in the end. It's also a bit too extended. I recommend this for the great volatile acting.