Reviews

There're few films that fit the very specific category of "niche-twenty-something-queer-adult-having-a-second-coming-of-age-esque" films and this one checks all the boxes, a time capsule even for gen z's like myself

Imagine being a drained young adult during the peak of the grunge culture in the early 90's wandering around the empty streets at dawn looking for purpose, sex and love.

I don't fully know how to describe this film, it feels familiar yet so different, a true 90's culture with a touch of horror and queerness. It felt exactly like listening to an Anathema or The Cure song at sunset, eternal.

Go do yourself a favor and watch this film.

I've watched most of Xavier Dolan movies in a chronological order, and i've noticed that, as many other young directors, his filmography is like a circle. After having his breaking through moment with I killed my Mother, made a couple of "pretentious" movies -as some would say-, then a couple with some big names and famous faces, then back to more "Xavier" like movies, whatever that means, finally it's a full circle. As for Matthias and Maxime it felt like Dolan wanted to go back to his roots again, which was probably the best choice he could've made after all his previous films.

It's quite a fascinating thing to see someone grow throughout the years, to observe someone slowly but surly develop their style, and to experiment and explore in as many genres as Dolan did, he manages not to only accept that challenge and have the enough courage to display his filmography and be able to say things like "here i made this thriller and this drama and this romance!" but to succeed at it too. His films are always changing their shape and form, and even though in this film he tackles the same themes and topics as a lot of his previous films; dysfunctional family dynamics, friendships, mother figures, identity and so on, the way he presenters these themes in his films where it's constantly engaging without getting too repetitive or boring, his stories flow perfectly and effortlessly, it's quite a fascinating and a very special gift to say the least. His movies aren't trying to go somewhere they don't belong nor is he is not trying to talk about something he's yet to fully understand, his movies are about young people and youth, and they're developing with him, as he ages we'll get to see more of this mature Dolan, and i'm anticipating a new decade with his future projects with so much joy.

There's so much intensity in this movie, the characters are so vibrant they radiate life everywhere they go it's beautifully contagious. It felt like we got to witness this very intimate thing grow between these two men at such a confusing time of their lives. In movies, when two straight long term friends, a man and a woman, develop feelings for one another it's always easier to act upon these feeling and see where it leads, and the idea of a man and a woman being together is overall more socially acceptable, probably someone in their friend group was secretly rooting for them for years. But, when the scenario is reversed and it's about two men who develop feelings for each other after being friends for years, suddenly everything is difficult, the complexity of these new born feelings, the confusion, the doubt, the hesitation, the desires, the tension, the self control in each other presence, the having to deal with families and shared friend groups, coming out and all what could've change in their lives if they chose to act upon these feelings, it's all a risk and whole different level of complicated. It was all captured perfectly with the stunning and raw performance of everyone involved in the making of this film.

Matthias and Maxime is by far the most minimalistic film Xavier has ever made, the most adult like too. Not to mention the mesmerizing cinematography, just stunning colorful shots throughout the whole film it was one of the most visually pleasing films i've seen in a while. Lgbtq+ cinema and cinema in general has a promising future with someone like Xavier Dolan in it.

Regardless of whether you like Xavier Dolan's films or not, this one is definitely a must see!

I recently re-visited some older Xavier Dolan movies during quarantine and i was hesitant whether i should rewatch I Killed My Mother or not for a while, mainly due to the fact that the first watch was difficult, painful and memorable, all in a good way.

I remember there was this interview of Xavier where he said he was embarrassed of this movie because of the clumsiness and all the "imperfect" details and shots, but that's the beauty of it all. These are the reasons why many young people could relate to this movie, despite it being mostly about him and his mom and despite it being based on their own dynamics, the downs and the ups and the inbetween, many people saw themselves in it. This movie felt intrusive, not towards Hubert's character and his relationship with his mom but towards me! towards you! It was intrusive towards all the viewers who experienced a similar love-hate relationship with their mothers. It was not just a movie, it was more like a personal essay, a documentary or even just a weird high quality vlog some teenager shot and put together. I was surprised to see that he doesn't realize that the messiness and clumsiness is the reason why people love this movie so much, and why it's the closest to my heart -and undoubtedly others- out of his whole filmography despite him having better movies. Even now in 2021 and having watched his whole filmography -twice for most of his films, no regents whatsoever-, it's still beyond me how wrote the script when he was only 16/17, like how did he manage to add all that depth and all these gut wrenching conversations/arguments at such a young age??? Talent at its purest.

This movie is not your traditional coming of age movie, nor is it one of those cheesy teen movies where some summer something unexpected and wonderful happens with the protagonist coming to this one big realization within the final 20 minutes or so. It's a much more honest and a much more powerful representation of a very troubled adolescent.

This movie is art and always will be.

This drama is so raw, It shows real people with actual issues and struggles going through life, together.

The story is not very special nor is it different from other dramas/tv shows about college life, coming of age, womanhood, self esteem, self love, friendships and relationships, but that's the beauty of it, all the bonds that the girls developed throughout the show felt authentic and had a very organic flow. Some k-drama writers can easily go overboard with dreamy stories, the sugar coated annoying romance that gets irritating after the first couple of episodes, this drama is an exception.

The exploration of some serious topics like toxic and/or abusive relationships, therapy, depression and anxiety, women empowerment, personal development and growth weren't forced at all, it was rather such a nice addition to South Korean shows, which unfortunately are lacking sevelry in that department, regardless of the many serious issues that the youth of South Korea are struggling with on the daily, which are usually left untalked about.

This drama felt like a breeze of fresh air at times, especially with the stunning soundtracks. Anyone can watch and enjoy it, highly recommend.