Anne Dorval

  • Les amours imaginaires [Heartbeats] (2010)

    Les amours imaginaires [Heartbeats] (2010)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, July 2020) Fans of writer-director Xavier Dolan may have some interest in tackling his sophomore work Les amours imaginaires, if only for how much it perpetuates and prefigures many of his motifs: doomed romances, gay characters, insistent use of pop music, montages, Anne Dorval, and so on. This story of a romantic triangle just waiting to collapse does generate wit and interest almost despite itself—the cuts to people talking about their own love lives, reflecting upon the action of the main plot, add some interest as well (especially with Anne-Élisabeth Bossé looking simply too cute for words with large horned glasses). Les amours imaginaires doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in non-movie terms—it’s hard to imagine that this is how people would behave, or that the pretence of a love triangle would linger long. But this is Dolan’s show, and the film does a good job in showcasing both him and Montréal’s young urban hip culture. (In keeping with other Dolan movies, bad things happen when characters leave their home ground.) The film itself is not bad, but considering how Dolan’s work is very consistent (almost repetitive) from one film to another, Les amours imaginaires is perhaps best appreciated as an episode of the Xavier Dolan show than its own specific film.

  • Mommy (2014)

    Mommy (2014)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, July 2020) Any look at Xavier Dolan’s filmography has Mommy near the top of his critical notices and while the film is flawed, it does have some undeniable strengths. After a clumsy opening text that could have been handled in two or three lines of dialogue, we’re off to the races: A mother/son relationship (in keeping with Dolan’s obsessions) featuring a deeply aggressive young man kicked out of a specialized school and coming home to make life hell for his mom. If you’re looking for a nice, fun, comforting film, this isn’t it: there are a few scenes here that are excruciating to watch, and Mommy makes a bold bet in making a main character out of an irremediably despicable young man. The conclusion is forgone, and the way to get there is just as difficult. Dolan’s artistic choices are sometimes questionable—such as filming in 1 × 1 aspect ratio and justifying it as “intimate” when generations of filmmakers have presented domestic dramas in more standard formats. Anne Dorval is terrific as the titular mommy, while Antoine Olivier Pilon is perhaps too good as the hateful son. Also remarkable is Patrick Huard in a markedly more serious and less admirable role as usual. Mommy is certainly not easy to watch nor perfect, but there are a handful of scenes with tremendous dramatic intensity, and it’s executed better than usual.