sol- Xavier Dolan's debut feature is not about a teenager who killed his mother (as per the deceptive title) but rather a teenager who wishes that his mother was dead, which to his mind amounts to pretty much the same thing. Dolan himself plays the protagonist and Anne Dorval has the role of the despised matriarch, who Dolan introduces to in closeup and slow motion as she messily consumes cream cheese on toast - one of many habits that infuriates the young man. There is, however, a lot more going on and as the film progresses, we begin to wonder whether it is less a case of him hating her and more a case of not feeling comfortable to be open with her (she only finds out that he has a steady boyfriend by chance). Dolan is smart enough to also show us the mother's side of the story, which prevents her from seeming monstrous - though ultimately one does end up siding more with him than her. Dorval is particularly effective in a surprise phone call scene; the way she stumbles while talking, her anger always seems real and not rehearsed. The film nevertheless feels a bit truncated in parts. In particular, the amount of time Dolan's character spends in the boarding school and his experiences there seem shied over. That said, the film flows better than Dolan's (nearly) twice as long 'Laurence Anyways' and it certainly barely overstays its welcome.

lefkiosvanrooy Xavier Dolan's directorial debut talks about the relationship between a single mother and her gay son, and heavily draws experience from the director's personal relationship with his own mother. The semi-autobiographical nature of the film is apparent in the authenticity and raw emotion expressed between the characters like the frustration and endless friction that comes from a relationship like this. It is refreshing to see this topic being explored through the eyes of a young adult, whose thoughts and opinions on the matter are still fresh and unaltered by time and circumstances that life brings. Dolan is young enough to remember well the feelings of overwhelming frustration to the level of almost hate experienced by a teenager having to deal with a difficult and sometimes intolerable mom, and at the same time is old enough to portray this relationship with some maturity and understanding of the mother's point of view. The result is a movie that will hit home to many people that have lived with their single mom in their teen years. For them this movie could be seen as a portrait of the relentless, absurd cycle of fights and tantrums, that while they may have seemed unbearable at the time (the character says that whoever does not admit hating their mother at one point in their lives is lying), are now viewed with a more comedic spin as to how insignificant they would often be.

thomas timmins its a shame i cant mark this higher than 10 because i just finished watching this and i found it as an amazing piece of work that portrayed the complexities of which many people would see as a normal relationship. i honestly loved this film and i'am very particular about how a person is developed in a storyline and how everything works and this semi- autobiography brought together everything i love in a film. it is quite sad though that it only got released in a couple countries because film now deserves something that can reach different aspects of peoples lives with great acting. it does sound like i'am over reacting but you have to watch the film to know why i reiterate how good it is. this is a must watch

Bahast Biuk the characters are attempted to be portrayed as complex but seem to fall flat into archetypal ones.storyline is somewhat histrionic and certain scenes verge on narcissistic.theme and motifs are contemporary and important however subtleness shines with it's absence.on a personal note the protagonist is horrible to his own mother and quite manipulative. also xavier looks nothing like 16 and probably casted himself aiming for prestige.furthermore there is a certain kind of conceited independence shooting yourself at close macro- angles with shadowing lenses.