Mommy (2014)

A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writer:

Xavier Dolan (screenplay)

Stars:

Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clément

51 wins & 60 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Dorval	...	Diane 'Die' Després
Suzanne Clément	...	Kyla
Antoine Olivier Pilon	...	Steve O'Connor Després (as Antoine-Olivier Pilon)
Patrick Huard	...	Paul
Alexandre Goyette	...	Patrick
Michèle Lituac	...	Directrice du centre correctionnel
Viviane Pascal	...	Marthe (as Viviane Pacal)
Natalie Hamel-Roy	...	Natacha
Isabelle Nélisse	...	Fille de Kyla
Ted Pluviose	...	Chauffeur de taxi
Pierre-Yves Cardinal	...	Gardien de sécurité #1
Reda Guerinik	...	Gardes de securite
Justin Laramée	...	Gardes de securite
Sabrina Bisson	...	DJ Karaoke
Huguette Gervais	...	Calssiere librairie

Storyline

Forty-six year old Diane Després - "Die" - has been widowed for three years. Considered white trash by many, Die does whatever she needs, including strutting her body in front of male employers who will look, to make an honest living. That bread-winning ability is affected when she makes the decision to remove her only offspring, fifteen year old Steve Després, from her previously imposed institutionalization, one step below juvenile detention. She institutionalized him shortly following her husband's death due to Steve's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and his violent outbursts. He was just kicked out of the latest in a long line of facilities for setting fire to the cafeteria, in turn injuring another boy. She made this decision to deinstitutionalize him as she didn't like the alternative, sending him into more restrictive juvenile detention from which he would probably never be rehabilitated. However, with this deinstitutionalization, she has to take care of him ...

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional family | oedipus complex | institutionalization | single mother | troubled teenager | 

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Taglines:

"We still love each other, right?" - "That's we're best at, buddy."

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, sexual references and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English

Release Date:

8 October 2014 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Mamica

Filming Locations:

Chambly, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,204, 25 January 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,492,754, 15 March 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Séville,Metafilms,Sons of Manual

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Diane, Steve, and Kyla are having dinner, Steve tells a story about how when he was little and his parents didn't want him to understand their conversations, they would speak in English. Steve says that most conversations ended with either "shut up" or "f*** off." He then says that he tried to befriend a little girl who spoke English by telling her to "shut up" and "f*** off," because those were the only English phrases he knew, and he didn't know what that meant. In the DVD commentary, Anne Dorval actually admits that this is her own personal experience from when she was little, and that she told a neighborhood child to "shut up." Xavier Dolan thought her story was funny and decided to put it into the movie.

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Quotes

Steve Després: I wanted to tell you... I just wanted to thank you for your patience. I know I'm rough. Like Grandma used to say when I was younger, that I was rough. Now I get it, why she said that. So I'm sorry. And when I think about the times when... When I think about how much maybe I hurt you... After, when I get my shit together... I'm so fucking sad because you deserve so much better than a fucking retard like me! So... What matters is... I'm thinking about you here, and I love you.

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Connections

References Rocky III (1982)

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Soundtracks

White Flag
Written by Dido (as Dido Armstrong), Roland 'Rollo' Armstrong, and Rick Nowels
Performed by Dido
Produced by Dido (as Dido Armstrong) and Roland 'Rollo' Armstrong
Courtesy of Arista Records

User Reviews

Visceral

There is definitely a lot to say about "Mommy". So many sides to it that I honestly do not know where to begin. The first aspect that really got a hold on me was the cinematography, as well as the photography. The camera, directed by Xavier Dolan, manages to make the viewer breathe an aura of beauty and gleam in most of the scenes, insofar as the movie as a whole can actually be classified as one of those rare masterpieces in which you may - and often you do - easily get lost. And the soundtrack certainly plays a role in this game. From Dido to Céline Dion, from Eiffel 65 to Andrea Bocelli, from Oasis to Ludovico Einaudi, each artist and each song is perfectly accurate for the moment in which it is played. Especially and eventually Lana Del Rey with her "Born To Die". But I think the greatest aspect of the entire movie, if you can find one single aspect better than another one, is the structure and the interior complexity of the very few characters. Both *Die* and Steve, and Kyla as well, have a both strong ad anguished personality, and the bounds that exist among them are, in one word, visceral. As visceral as their true essence. As visceral as the situation in which they are imprisoned, and from which they can escape only in very few moments of « Liberté », as Steve screams to the sky. Only in this coinciding moments the framing widens, turning from a square to a giant rectangle, and the spectator is suddenly swallowed by the excitement of the characters, by their joy. By their innate and genuine HAPPINESS.