lefkiosvanrooy Review of Tom at the Farm

Tom at the Farm (2013)

Engaging yet not entirely convincing of its' character's credibility and justification for their actions

[6/10 · 28 March 2016]

Tom a la ferme is probably the most commercial of Dolan's films up to this point in his career. I say this because the movie includes a lot of the features that a good psychological thriller uses to keep its audience engaged. The chasing scenes, the intense score, the many close ups of our main character played with intensity and magnetism by Dolan himself. Dolan introduces a complex relationship between the villain and the victim, one we don't often see in this type of genre. While the villain here always remains violent, dangerous and cruel, at time he's also seen to be extremely vulnerable, and in a way is in need of his prey not for food, not for fulfillment of the usual need for sadism that describes such villains, but for company and affection. In his own twisted way Francis is dependent on Tom not leaving, as he does not want to go back to this lonely and secluded life he found himself in after choosing to stay behind and take care of his mom. This duty Francis feels to please his mom and help her with the farm as well as the mother's sorrow and pain felt in the aftermath of her son's death is one of the prominent topics in Dolan's films, the bond between mother and son. At some point in the film, this desire of Francis to keep Tom in the farm goes beyond the need for compassion, with scenes of sexual tension between the two becoming more and more common as the movie progresses. After attempting and failing to escape, Tom starts to find the eerie and intense life in this dysfunctional household get to him as he refuses Sarah's offer to get him out of the farm, and in a way developing a Stockholm syndrome. The lamb that once needed to escape the wolf's nest, now finds his position there and realises his importance in consoling the grieving mom and helping out the man that needs him and at the same time abuses him – this strange co- dependency is in fact what makes this thriller so intriguing. This comes to an end when Tom finally realises the danger he's facing after he finds out about Francis' past. All in all, while the film provides a storyline engaging enough to keep the audience watching, it never really manages to wow the audience at any point, nor does it manage to convince us of the credibility of its characters, with a lack of justification for many of their actions.