Advertisement
Powered By
IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Once better known for being young, gay, outspoken, prolific (five feature films before the age of 25) and handsomely coiffured, French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan establishes himself as a serious talent with this superb, Palme d'Or-nominated drama. Anne Dorval stars as Diane "Die" Després, a Quebec widow whose unruly teenage son Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon) has just been kicked out of a juvenile facility. "Die" and Steve need each other but struggle to live together: Steve, who has a violent form of ADHD, is given to mood swings that put a strain on his mother's attempts to get on with her life. But Steve can also be sweet and adorable, and a breakthrough is made as both mother and son get to know their shy and, to Steve, calming neighbour Kyla (Suzanne Clément). Will the peace last? Dolan's charming and artful film keeps us guessing, via an oddly effective range of screen ratios (mostly the square 1:1 to reflect its characters' isolated intimacy) and frequent bursts of joyous FM pop music. It borders on pretentious but never is, thanks largely to Dorval's wonderful, authentic performance as the titular everywoman.

How to watch

Loading

Credits

Cast

rolename
Diane (Die) DesprésAnne Dorval
Steve O'Connor DesprésAntoine Olivier Pilon
KylaSuzanne Clément
Paul BéliveauPatrick Huard
PatrickAlexandre Goyette
MartheViviane Pascal
NatachaNatalie Hamel-Roy

Crew

rolename
DirectorXavier Dolan

Details

Theatrical distributor
Metrodome
Released on
2015-03-20
Languages
English | French
Guidance
Swearing
Available on
DVD
Formats
Colour
Advertisement
Advertisement

RadioTimes.com is getting better.

Fresh new look, redesigned programme hub, richer content…

FIND OUT MORE
Advertisement