Tom à la ferme (2013)

A grieving man meets his lover's family, who were not aware of their son's sexual orientation.

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writers:

Xavier Dolan (screenplay), Michel Marc Bouchard (screenplay)

Stars:

Xavier Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy

8 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Xavier Dolan	...	Tom
Pierre-Yves Cardinal	...	Francis
Lise Roy	...	Agathe
Evelyne Brochu	...	Sarah
Manuel Tadros	...	Bar Owner
Jacques Lavallée	...	Priest
Anne Caron	...	Doctor
Olivier Morin	...	Paul
Johanne Léveillé	...	Service Station Employee
Mathieu Roy	...	Man at Convenience Store

Storyline

The story of Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | grief | homophobia | huis clos | loss of loved one | 

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Taglines:

What you don't know WILL hurt you.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Diaphana Films [France] Official Facebook

Country:

France Canada

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 August 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tom at the Farm

Filming Locations:

Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions,Sons of Manual,Arte France Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first film that Xavier Dolan didn't write on his own.

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Quotes

Tom: And why doesn't anybody talk to you?
Francis: I don't care about people, so people don't care about me, you know.

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Connections

Referenced in Northern Lights (2016)

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Soundtracks

Verklärte Nacht, opus 4
Composed by Arnold Schönberg (1899)
Performed by Ulster Orchestra, Takui Yuasa
Published by Belmont Music Publishing
With the Authorization of Naxos of America

User Reviews

Brilliantly tense story and acting all the way through.

I was one of the lucky people to see this movie tonight at the Dutch festival 'Roze Filmdagen' (Pink Film Days) in Amsterdam before it will hit the art-house cinemas here in april. It was the opening film and the festival director Werner Borkes made clear in his opening speech that he felt like a very lucky man to be able to show us this movie already. I must say, the expectations were high and growing and most of the time high expectations are hard to live up to. But not this time.

Canadian wonder child Xavier Dolan (born in '89) adapted the play by Michel Marc Bouchard, who co-wrote the script for the movie. Dolan is also playing the lead character Tom, who visits the family of his deceased lover for the funeral. The mother and homophobic brother live on a farm and when Tom tries to leave after the funeral, the brother doesn't let him. What follows is a psychological warfare between the characters and the big question is: will Tom be able to leave and does he want to…

The movie is tensed from beginning till the end and the music (with a lot of strings) is used well to accompany and strengthen the secluded and somewhat claustrophobic life on the farm. Besides the tension, there is also a lot of humor in the situations and dialog that seems to turn on a dime into an awkward situation for Tom. Especially the part where Tom is talking over dinner about the so-called girlfriend Sara with the mother, who doesn't have a clue what Tom's relationship with her son is, and the brother is a memorable scene. All the actors are great and deliver the lines from their toes.

Xavier Dolan is especially one to keep an eye on, this is already his third movie in his 24 years young life and he knows how to tell a great story the right way.