Review: Cannes critics enthusiastic over Xavier Dolan’s “Mommy”

PanARMENIAN.Net - This year’s Cannes Film Festival unloaded its shared of turkeys, but at least the festival ended on a dazzling high note, film editor Ramin Setoodeh said in a review published at Variety.

“On Thursday May 22 night, Cannes premiered “Mommy” directed by 25-year-old Quebecois director (and former child actor) Xavier Dolan, a drama about a mother and son that has quickly become the talk of the Croisette.

At a Thursday afternoon showing, the crowd spontaneously erupted in applause during one of the film’s sequences, and exploded into actual chants of “bravo!” at its closing credits. The critics are just as enthusiastic, mentioning him in the same breath as Godard or Almodovar. The word on the street is that “Mommy” is the frontrunner to land the coveted Palme d’Or,” the review said.

“Dolan takes a what could have been a conventional family saga and infuses it with a stunning command for story telling and cinematography (the film is shot in 1:1 aspect ratio). He draws tour de force performances from his actors, especially his lead Anne Dorval. Her title character springs her 15-year-old son (Antoine-Olivier Pilon) from an institution for problem children and tries to homeschool him, with the help of a neighbor (Suzanne Clement).

Although the film is a gut-wrenching drama, it also has moments of levity, backed by a ’90s pop soundtrack that features Dido, Oasis and Counting Crows, and even a sly reference to “Home Alone.” This is Dolan’s fifth film (after “I Killed My Mother” and “Heartbeats”), but it’s already poised to change his career as the big discovery out of Cannes,” the review said.

“I loved it,” said Jess Weixler, who said she cried twice during the movie.

“How incredible!” cheered Jessica Chastain at Thursday night’s amfAR charity dinner. “I just got goosebumps thinking about it. I’m really excited about that filmmaker—I hope to work with him. Whenever I see an actor, a director, a writer, do something innovative and change the rules, it gives me a little adrenaline push.”

Like everybody else at Cannes, Chastain said just as knocked out by Dolan’s age. “I feel like I work hard, but what was I doing when I was 25?” she asked. “I was going to school!”