The Potentially Great ‘Mommy’ Is Only Occasionally Good

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert once said, “No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.” He may have a point with the second part, but I’m certain that he would clarify the first part if he lived long enough to see Mommy (2014), Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature film in six years. This is a film that overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes, and although it contains flashes of brilliance, the excessive length and repetitive narrative beats grow tiresome. A potentially great film is instead an occasionally good one.

Mommy, like Dolan’s other films, is about dysfunctional characters. In this case, Dolan explores the relationship between a single mother, Diane (Anne Dorval), and her erratic, ADHD diagnosed son, Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon). They are a peculiar bunch. On the one hand, they are open and honest with each other, and it is clear that their relationship is rooted in love and respect. On the other hand, they can be physically and emotionally abusive, and each interaction requires a negotiation and relinquishment of power. The relationship becomes even more complicated when a lonely neighbor next door, Kyla (Suzanne Clément), enters the picture and changes the dynamic.

Mommy is already infamous for Dolan’s decision to shoot in a 1:1 aspect ratio, which makes it look like it was made with an iPhone. Contrary to what some critics have said, it’s not distracting, and it makes sense as an artistic choice. The relationship between the three characters is incredibly intimate, and the aspect ratio visually expresses this intimacy in a clever way.

The aspect ratio also conveys one of the film’s main themes, which is that these characters are prisoners of their world, and of circumstances they cannot control. They are boxed in, both by the literal frame in which they appear and the metaphorical frame of life. At various points throughout the film, the frame widens, and this is meant to mirror the glimmers of hope that come to the characters. Despite the difficulties of their lives, there are moments when they open up and look forward to the future, but they are quickly discouraged by another obstacle, and the frame closes in on them again.

The performances by Dorval, Pilon, and Clément are fantastic, and there are a number of memorable scenes, such as when the three of them bond for the first time at dinner, when Diane and Steve try to drown each other out with loud music, and when Steve embarrasses himself at a karaoke bar. However, the tone is hysterical, the characters are abrasive, and Dolan’s direction lacks subtlety. All of this may be intentional, but it doesn’t make the film any less draining. Ultimately, it’s not worth the effort to watch obnoxious characters shout at each other for over two hours.

One has to wonder why Dolan bothered to make this film when we already have his debut, I Killed My Mother (2009), which is also about a tense relationship between a single mother and her son. Obviously, other filmmakers have dabbled in the same subject matter more than once before (Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese come to mind), but as Mommy progresses, it’s impossible not to think about the shorter and far superior I Killed My Mother. Perhaps for his next project, Dolan will draw inspiration from his most underrated film Tom at the Farm (2013) and make another genre picture.

Dolan fills the film with his usual touches, like the catchy pop songs, the bright colors, and the high melodrama. The moment when Oasis’ “Wonderwall” kicks into the soundtrack and Steve expands the frame with his hands is magical, but it is followed by more contentious shouting matches. One’s enjoyment of the film will depend on one’s threshold for this sort of thing. As a general life principal, I try to avoid annoying people whenever I can, and watching them bicker on screen for 139 minutes isn’t exactly my idea of entertainment. Yes, art holds a mirror up to society, and even the lowest of the low deserve to have their stories told, but what’s the point when all of the joy is being suffocated from the film with each passing minute?

Dolan is a talented filmmaker, and he already has an impressive oeuvre of challenging and captivating films to his name. At the very least, Mommy is an ambitious film which finds the young artist confident and in control of his craft. In addition to writing and directing the film, he also serves as its producer, editor, and costume designer. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and one has to give him credit for making Mommy with two middle fingers waving in the air. The film is an unapologetic artistic statement if ever there was one. However, the ambitious writer/director could have been a more judicious editor to make Mommy the masterpiece it so clearly wants to be, instead of a film that seems to have only been made for the filmmaker to admire.