Mommy

Director: Xavier Dolan

Production company: Les Films Séville

Distributor: Roadside Attractions

Year: 2014

Domestic Box office: $3,494,070

Mommy is one of my favourite films not just because of the cinematography but also because of the way the director chose to set out the film. Firstly I really like the way in which the director uses a 1:1 ratio when shooting, this is done because looking at a moving image set in this ratio is hard to follow as your eye naturally wants to flow from side to side when watching something, however when this is disrupted such as the square format that this is set in, your eyes find it harder to follow. This then makes viewing subconsciously more difficult, this may be seen as a bad thing however this was done purposely to reflect the hardship the character is going through in that time of the story line and to make the audience connect to the character more. This is also subtly followed through by the screen opening up to the 2:1 ratio when times in Steve's (the protagonist's) life improved. I find this clever and inspiring as I really like films which try to connect with the audience as much as possible, and the way in which Xavier Dolan does this is clever as the connectivity is not obvious to the blind eye but is definitely there. Secondly I like the way in which the the set gives visual metaphors to the story line in that scene, such as when Diane the mother Steve is seeking help and and finds it as she looks through the dirt ridden murky window reflecting the murky situation she's in. Near the end of the movie there is a utopia like scene where everything the mother wants occurs, this leads the viewer in to false hope and victory for this character which is then shown to the bower as just being a dream, I like how this was included as it also connects the viewer and shows them the emotion the character must be going through. Finally the cinematography is also unconventional beautiful, the composition, colours, and location add to the juxtaposition of the film being raw and violent but also beautiful and prepossessing.