Xavier Dolan has, to date, directed something like 8 feature films, unless my counting is incorrect. He's also helmed some shorts, music videos, and TV work. I have seen almost all of his feature filmography. I would not hesitate to recommend his films to other film fans who are open to exploring less mainstream cinematic territories.
Also acting in front of the camera, as he does for most of his movies, Dolan plays the Tom of the title. The farm that he ends up at belongs to the family of his recently-deceased lover. There's a devastated mother (Agathe, played by Lise Roy) and an angry brother (Francis, played by Pierre-Yves Cardinal). Skirting around his own relationship, simply referring to himself as a close friend, Tom soon finds himself in an awkward and scary position when Francis makes it clear that he knows exactly who he is, and he also doesn't want his mother to ever find out. In fact, he created a fictional girlfriend for his dead brother, which plays a big part in the story later when Tom convinces another friend (Evelyne Brochu) to visit in the guise of that fictional partner.
Looking at the very real problem that many can encounter when they lose a loved one who wasn’t necessarily able to be honest with family about their sexuality, and even when they lose a loved one who was honest, but can have things completely reframed by those who want to erase that part of them, Tom At The Farm is a spiralling nightmare that works as well as it does because of the many main plot beats that feel very much grounded in reality. Despite everything that goes on, one thing worth remembering is just how Tom is unable to even show the full depth of his grief in the way he might want to. That may be the least of his worries, but it really serves as a reminder of how members of the LGBTQ+ community are oppressed and restricted in many ways, even from those not threatening them with violence. And then there’s the very real and constant threat of violence, shown here in the character of Francis.
Dolan is as savvy in front of the camera as he is behind it. He knows what’s happening around him, and acts in a way that shows how much he has learned to balance his defiance and his instinct for self-preservation. Both Cardinal and Roy are excellent, playing people who have very different ways of trying to maintain a connection with a lost loved one. Brochu has a lot less screentime, but does well enough, despite her character taking a bit of a turn that didn’t feel satisfying to me, although wasn’t necessarily delivered as a huge rug-pull.
Having worked on the screenplay with Michel Marc Brouchard, who wrote the original play, Dolan excels at looking after the main themes being explored, maintaining a sense of tension and dread throughout, and also avoiding a static and dull approach that would have focused on the words and ideas ahead of any film techniques. Dolan is interested in a lot of things, but, first and foremost, he’s undoubtedly interested in making films. This stands as one of his best.
8/10
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