Mommy is the most recent film from Xavier Dolan--Quebec's wunderkind. I highly recommend his other films, particularly Les amours imaginaires and J'ai tué ma mère.
Mommy is a film about mothers (and I really dig movies about mothers).
It's quite an unusual film, in theme, narrative, and aesthetic. It was shot and is presented in 1x1 aspect ratio--that is a square that appears to be a vertical rectangle when projected on-screen. I was worried this would be gimmicky and hard to watch, rather it was used expertly and hugely effectively. The aspect ratio helps convey a heavy sense of claustrophobia that is suffocating and oppressive, underscoring the tumultuous, violent, and chaotic relationship between mother and son.
Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clement, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon are perfection here.
5/5