If you feel like you’ve achieved very little in your life, Xavier Dolan is the kind of guy who will make you sick. At the age of 25, Dolan has already received acclaim on the the international festival circuit as an ambitious and stylish director. His latest film, Tom at the Farm, is very good indeed, showing a maturity and restraint that belies his years. Oh and did I mention he also stars as the eponymous Tom? What a talented swine.
We meet a distraught Tom as he drives from his home in Montreal to attend the funeral of his lover Guillaume in rural Quebec. He arrives at the isolated farm that was the childhood home of his partner, only to discover that Guillaume’s mother Agathe (Lise Roy) had no idea that her son was gay. This charade has been carefully constructed by his homophobic bully of a brother, Francis (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), who is determined to keep his brother’s sexuality a secret after his death. Threatened by Francis, Tom plays the part of devoted friend and quickly becomes a surrogate part of the family.
The story itself is quite light but it soon becomes clear that Dolan is interested in creating a psychological mood piece, built upon the hugely dysfunctional relationships formed between Tom, Agathe and Francis. As he is encouraged to don his dead lovers work clothes and help out on the farm, Tom begins to lose sight of himself, becoming a surrogate son to Agathe and beginning what is almost a dark romance with the violent Francis. The film drips with tension, helped by an excellent Bernard Herrmann-esque score from Gabriel Yared, which immediately sets the tone and piques the interest.
This being a claustrophobic chamber piece, the success of this film is dependent on the quality of its cast and thankfully the dramatis personnae of this twisted family triangle are all excellent. Cardinal exudes menace as he peacocks bare-chested around the house, highlighting his physical prowess in contrast to the diminutive Dolan, who is excellent in the lead role, giving a performance that confounds expectations. Tension crackles between the two men throughout and clashes with the barely contained desperation of Agathe.
From the opening moment of Tom at the Farm, I was absorbed by its dark and rich atmosphere. The film confirms Dolan as an intelligent and versatile director, who will be one to look out for in the coming years.