Mommy
Directed by Xavier Dolan
Distributed by Les Films Séville
Mommy is set in a fictional Canada where parents have a legal and moral responsibility to give up trouble-children to an institutionalized system. It centres on the struggle between widow Diane “Die” Després and Steve, her 15-year-old with ADHD, who has been entrusted to her care after setting his boarding school’s cafeteria ablaze.
Die, played by Anne Dorval, has an almost charming relationship with Steve, walking in on him masturbating asking him to “get [his] jizz together” so they can get on with their day. But life is strained when Steve, played by Antoine-Olivier Pilon, can’t conform to his new situation. Accused of stealing a silver necklace with the word “Mommy” in fine cursive on it, he attacks Dorval in a rage, trapping her in a closet. The fight draws in timid neighbour Kyla, played by Suzanne Clément, who finds herself entangled in the pairs’ world.
Inspired by his recent direction for Indochine’s music video for “College Boy”—also starring Pilon—Dolan chose to shoot the film in a 1:1 aspect ratio. At first glance, Mommy feels like a feature length film on an Instagram feed. To some, this may be a completely frustrating experience. The frame is centred on the characters—usually uncomfortably close—and escape into the rest of the frame from the tirade of shouting and swearing is not an option. Scenes with more than two characters are cramped and demonstrate, like the audience, there is no way to escape into the background.
Dolan uses the screen to mirror the turmoil his characters are going through and, in brief moments of change that are so subtle, he opens up the screen into spine-tingling wide screen only to snatch it away from the audience just as quickly. In the end, it’s a testament to the film that the size of the screen, an abnormal ratio to a modern audience, is only noticed when it changes.
In an undertaking like Mommy that is so well executed, it’s difficult to find fault. However, Dolan doesn’t fully recognize the fictional reality he has created. The law allowing for the institutionalization of minors is mentioned rarely and only in passing. It’s an important plot device that doesn’t receive much screen time but, luckily for Dolan, viewers will be so engrossed in the drama of his characters lives’ that this oversight can be easily forgiven.
Mommy takes a lot of risks, all of which pay out. Dolan has surrounded himself with a strong roster of actors and knows his way around the screen. With only five years under his belt, he’s set the bar high but will no doubt reach higher with his next endeavour.
