TIFF: Quebecer does more than Dramedy

MattCanada reporting from the Toronto International Film Festival

Two nights ago I saw J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), the Cannes hit from 20 year old Québécois director Xavier Dolan. The film was shown in the University of Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre, which is hands down my favorite venue for TIFF films. It is like a Frank Gehry version of an Opera House, which always makes me feel like I am about to view a classic in the making. I think for the first time the movie matched up to the theatre's atmosphere. Present at the screening for its North American premiere were director/producer/writer/star Xavier Dolan, the titular mother Anne Dorval, and the shockingly pretty François Arnaud, who plays Dolan's boyfriend. Dolan introduced the film in the most unusual way - by raving about Jacques Audiard's Un prophète, and telling the audience he hopes to make a film as affecting one day. He ended by saying 'but for now I am here with a film I am incredibly proud'.

Now onto the film itself:

Xavier Dolan in I Killed My Mother. He's the writer/director/producer/star.

J'ai tué ma mère is incredible: moving, hilarious, beautiful, and like many good art house films, more than a little endearingly self-indulgent. For me, the combination of comedy and poignant drama is one of the most difficult things to accomplish successfully. Truthfully, how many terrible "dramedys" have we all sat through thinking 'this isn't funny or touching, just obvious and over-earnest'? I often find the Scrubs-syndrome (comedy to maudlin in a second and a half) literally angering. In J'ai tué ma mère Dolan uses the comedy to diffuse the emotional pressure of the mother-son feuding. Not in a forced and awkward kind of way, but in an exagerated and sarcastic mode that, to me, seemed very unique. The comedy's natural laughs were derived from the absurdity and tragedy of everything.

One of my favorite bits has mother Chantal (Anne Dorval) screaming and chasing son Hubert (Dolan) through his school in one of the tackiest outfits this side of Bob Mackie. The scene is tragic, but ultimately had the whole audience in hysterics. This successful mix of humour and pathos is really a tribute to the skills of the actors: Dolan, the pin-up stoner boyfriend Arnaud, caring teacher Suzanne Clément, and especially Anne Dorval as the mother. If there was any justice in the world Dorval would be nominated and win the Best Actress Oscar for this role. Her performance is nothing short of a revelation. The scene where she loses it on her son's principle is showstopping, but every moment Dorval is onscreen is flawless. Like fellow Quebecer Marie-Josee Croze in The Barbarian Invasions a few years ago, this performance will almost certainly be overlooked by the Academy despite its calibre. More than likely, like Croze, she will get a consolation Genie Award (Canadian Oscar).

Dolan must be credited for the risks he took with this film. Not everything succeeds, but as a whole the film is rich and rewarding: technically stunning, liberal in its stylistic melange, and perfectly balancing the different tones the script requires. The black-and-white inserts, although cinematic and expertly shot, were a little too over-indulgent and remain the only thing I did not really love about the film. The shot composition was incredible and clearly point to Dolan as a fan of the New Wave and, in particular, Truffaut. This film for me was immensly enjoyable, but also signaled the emergence of a brilliant new director. Hopefully his follow-up will not be too long in the making.

J'ai tué ma mère continues in the wonderful tradition of intelligent and stylistically daring Québécois gay films like John Greyson's Lilies - Les feluettes and Jean-Marc Vallée's C.R.A.Z.Y. Along with the Quebec connection, the film's directorial flourishes and the harmony of comedy and drama remind me of the best works of Pedro Almodóvar. I am still trying to process everything the film has to offer but I think it is a prime example of the how humour in gay culture derives from hardships and heartaches. This is so rare to find in gay films, which are usually either unrelentingly bleak or slapstick minded. J'ai tué ma mère is the first film in a long time to combine these perfectly.

There is more to say, but I'll finish by betting this will be Canada's foreign language film submission.
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