The prolific French/Canadian Xavier Dolan is unquestionably one of the ten best queer filmmakers today. And he’ll be at the top of of the list too.
In 2009 at the tender age of 20 his debut film I Killed My Mother, which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in, won him three prestigious awards at Cannes Film Festival and a Cesar Nomination too.
Hailed as a ‘wunderkind’, a title he may be tired of now he has reached the grand old age of 31 . in the past 11 years he has made 8 critically acclaimed extraordinary movies, as well as act in several more for other directors. In the meanwhile he had collected some 71 Awards including 3 Cesars and an unprecedented 7 from Cannes.
The story of Maxime (Dolan) and Matthias (Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas), this his 8th film, is familiar territory for Dolan. Set in a group of millennial friends in Canada, it centers on two of them who have been best friends since early childhood and seemingly inseparable until now. As Matt an up and coming corporate lawyer is somewhat reluctantly swept long by his fiancee who wants him to think about marriage, Max a bartender, is a bit of a loner/outsider is preparing to emigrate to Adelaide in Australia.
The film serves as a countdown to Max’s departure and kicks off at a weekend at the lake house of Ruvette (Pier-Luc Funk) one of their friends. The host’s younger sister (Camille Felton) a budding student filmmaker is also there and lamenting the absence of two of her actors. Max offers his services willingly as a stand in, but Matt is somehow tricked into taking part. Little did either of them know that they were expected to make out together on screen.
Max is gay and had been secretly carrying a torch for Matt for years, and although his friend was straight, some part of that filming stirred up thoughts that may have been laying dormant for years.
Now as this a Dolan film we know that trying to predict the trajectory of the story will be impossible. This highly imaginative man always writes plot lines that really make us think outside of the box, but they always make remarkable sense just before the final credits can roll.
One of the hallmarks of a Dolan film is that more often than not they contain a complicated mother/son relationship and as so often played out with one of his regular actors Anne Dorval.
That one make-out session could change two people’s lives so dramatically makes sense in Dolan’a capable hands . As more than most queer filmmakers his sharp observational skills and clear understanding of gay men’s psyche always give such an authenticity to all his films.
Matthias and Maxime is Dolan not just on good form but as so often, ahead of his game. It is one of those compelling movies that remain in your consciousness for some considerable time and you know you will end of seeing it again. And maybe again
Matthias & Maxime is streaming on https://mubi.com/
Labels: 2020, canadian, Xavier Dolan
