← Back to results
Mommy
2014 138 min Canada R 18+
★8.2
Drama
Director: Xavier Dolan
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
Description
A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.
Budget:
$4.9M
US Gross:
$3.49M
Worldwide:
$3.49M
Starring
Anne Dorval
Actor
Antoine Olivier Pilon
Actor
Suzanne Clément
Actor
Awards
Cannes Film Festival 2014
— Jury Prize
César Awards 2015
— Best International Feature Film
Cannes Film Festival 2014
— Queer Palm
César Awards 2015
— Best International Feature Film
Key opinion
Mommy is a visceral, emotionally charged drama that explores the volatile relationship between a widowed mother and her troubled, ADHD-afflicted son. While its innovative use of a 1:1 aspect ratio and intense performances are widely praised, the film divides opinion on whether its stylized, melodramatic approach is profound or unnecessarily pretentious.
| Cinematography | The use of an evolving 1:1 aspect ratio serves as a powerful visual metaphor for the characters' fluctuating sense of confinement and freedom. | |
| Acting | The lead performances by Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, and Suzanne Clément are raw, compelling, and anchor the film's intense emotional stakes. | |
| Score | The curated soundtrack functions as a core narrative engine, though some viewers find its heavy presence to be stylistically excessive. | |
| Pacing | The film's high-energy, clip-style editing and melodramatic tone are polarizing; some see it as an inventive, immersive stylistic choice, while others find it emotionally exhausting and pretentious. | |
| Theme | The screenplay's exploration of the boundaries of maternal love and the limitations of social support systems offers a mature, nuanced follow-up to Dolan’s early work. |