In 'Tom a la Ferme', Canadian director Xavier Dolan creates a maximum of suspense with a minimum of resources. Three people in an isolated farmhouse, a secret shared by two of them and the psychotic behaviour of one of them - that's it. Despite the lack of action and the slow pacing, the story is so intense it gripped me from start to finish.
Tom is the lover of the recently deceased Guillaume, and visits Guillaume's mother and brother to attend the funeral. But Guillaume's mother doesn't know her son was gay, so the brother makes Tom act as if he was straight, and forces him to talk about an imaginary girlfriend. The brother doesn't hesitate to use violence in order to keep up the charade, and even immobilizes Tom's car so he can't leave. While secrets from the past are slowly uncovered, the situation becomes more and more unbearable for Tom.
More than once, this movie made me think about Hitchcock's best films. There is the very prominent soundtrack, complete with shrieking violins. Also, like Hitchcock, Dolan uses location as an essential element in the story. And there are small scenes that add to the unsettling atmosphere, like a dead cow being dragged away, a taxi driver who refuses to enter the driveway of the farmhouse, or the blood on the hands after the birth of a calf.
'Tom a la Ferme' is not perfect. It is rather slow, and some scenes are a bit strange. For example, Guilaume's mother bursts out in hysterical laughter after Tom quotes some perverse language from the imaginary girlfriend. But overall, this is impressive film making.
(By the way: there's a very good a cappella interpretation of Michel Legrand's 'Les Moulins de mon Coeur' during the first scene. It isn't listed on IMDb' soundtrack section, but apparently it's by Canadian actress/singer Kathleen Fortin).
Tom is the lover of the recently deceased Guillaume, and visits Guillaume's mother and brother to attend the funeral. But Guillaume's mother doesn't know her son was gay, so the brother makes Tom act as if he was straight, and forces him to talk about an imaginary girlfriend. The brother doesn't hesitate to use violence in order to keep up the charade, and even immobilizes Tom's car so he can't leave. While secrets from the past are slowly uncovered, the situation becomes more and more unbearable for Tom.
More than once, this movie made me think about Hitchcock's best films. There is the very prominent soundtrack, complete with shrieking violins. Also, like Hitchcock, Dolan uses location as an essential element in the story. And there are small scenes that add to the unsettling atmosphere, like a dead cow being dragged away, a taxi driver who refuses to enter the driveway of the farmhouse, or the blood on the hands after the birth of a calf.
'Tom a la Ferme' is not perfect. It is rather slow, and some scenes are a bit strange. For example, Guilaume's mother bursts out in hysterical laughter after Tom quotes some perverse language from the imaginary girlfriend. But overall, this is impressive film making.
(By the way: there's a very good a cappella interpretation of Michel Legrand's 'Les Moulins de mon Coeur' during the first scene. It isn't listed on IMDb' soundtrack section, but apparently it's by Canadian actress/singer Kathleen Fortin).