I Killed My Mother: Xavier Dolan

It’s been a long time since a film has made me feel as conflicted as Xavier Dolan's I Killed My Mother. It’s more interesting than it is “good.” The semi-autobiographical story of the tumultuous relationship between a teenage son and his single mother, it's an explosive demonstration of creativity and skill on the part of its 19-year-old director. But it's woefully uneven. As the film continues, we begin to suspect that all of the problems in the relationship are the fault of the son. While the mother can be grating, indecisive, and overbearing, nothing she does in the film warrants the emotional manipulation, abuse, and torture inflicted upon her. The son comes off as a petulant, spoiled brat. But here's the thing: the film sort of knows that he's a petulant, spoiled brat. A supporting character even calls him out as such. But that doesn't fix the fact that everybody treats him like some tortured, misunderstood soul with the heart of a poet. He's an asshole with mommy issues. Maybe if the mother was more combative and abusive—maybe if their one-sided battle was truly two-sided—I Killed My Mother could have hit harder.

6/10