I Killed My Mother

I had to take a moment to reflect on this film. Does it really come across the way it seems? We’ve all had that fleeting moment where we wanted to tell our moms off, and Xavier Dolan captured that raw emotion in I Killed My Mother. The film showcases his bold perspective, and I have to admit, it intrigued me. Xavier proves himself to be a talented actor, writer, and director. The movie has a unique concept, executed in a way that clearly reflects his vision, with plenty of powerful scenes set to a great soundtrack, and a strong ending to tie it all together. The biggest challenge, though, is getting used to the characters. Dolan isn’t trying to appeal to everyone, so your feelings toward him and the film might evolve over time. At first, I found him hard to tolerate, but by the end, it all made sense. And let’s not forget, he wrote and directed this at just 19 years old, which is impressive in itself. (15/03/2012)

This film was in terms of style and content very similar to Heartbeats, which is a year younger, in which Xavier Dolan also dealt with mutual human love, trying to define it and somehow delimit it. The verbal quarrels between son and mother were perhaps sometimes too spontaneous and unjustified, but on the other hand very realistically presented. We may hate our mother to the heights of heaven, but we will certainly never stop loving her, which is true in the other direction as well. The most beautiful and visually elegant sequence was the scene in which Hubert chases his mother in the meadow and in the woods. And the ending was very well done. In short, another very beautiful and profound experience, while the young age of the director/writer is still an incredible fact for me. (30/05/2012)