Is Xavier Dolan a genius? Maybe so. The Quebecois actor/filmmaker — with a beautiful, impish face and brooding eyes — is only 25 and has already made six films and appeared in 17. With his model looks and quirky sense of aesthetics, Dolan could switch careers to become a designer for Gucci any time he likes. He certainly has "media darling" written all over him and sports the ambience of a man who can be at home on a runway or taking position behind a camera. In the meantime, there's "Tom at the Farm."
Dolan's films deal with two main issues: homosexuality and mother-son relationships. His previous work, "Laurence Anyways" (2012), featured a man who one day announces that he's transgender, leaving his girlfriend to deal with the consequences. She ends up attending to the needs of his new identity and nurturing him like a mom.
"Tom at the Farm" is more brutal and straightforward — the mother this time is an old woman and she's a monster of denial and self-pity. The titular Tom (played by Dolan) goes to the funeral of his dead lover, Guillaume, held at the farm where Guillaume grew up. Guillaume's mother, Agathe (Lise Roy), laments that her late son's girlfriend — the "bitch" — hasn't shown up, thinking that Tom is just a friend from the office. Agathe's other son Francis (Pierre Yves-Cardinal) has been feeding her lies, ostensibly to protect her from the truth of Guillaume's sexual orientation.