I'll write something for
Mommy, but I need to gather myself first. I'll just say that these things are fun to do because of movies like this. I think this is in the top four experiences I've had in any of these Hall of Fames.
Synecdoche, New York.
Mikey and Nicky.
Hiroshima Mon Amour. And now
Mommy. And to top it off, @
cricket nominated
Mikey and Nicky too. I think he's the best at these things.
I can't believe that Dolan is so young, yet so talented. I haven't seen any of his other films, but this one is too good for it be a lucky coincidence. He wrote and directed this thing, and I'll just assume he picked out the songs too. Everything comes together and it's an emotionally devastating film. The aspect ratio definitely isn't a gimmick, because it let's you feel their worlds caving in around them. When it feels like things are getting better and they can finally breathe, it's short-lived. The walls coming closing right back in. The first time the aspect ratio spreads out, it's such a relief. I have a fear or maybe it's just anxiety about physically being unable to do things. That's a vague statement, but what I'm saying is something like scratch an itch, solve a puzzle, or something more severe like lose any particular bodily function that would be considered a handicap. Something like losing my vision, or hearing, or the usage of a hand, foot, whatever. Just not being able to do something freaks me, even if it's a momentary thing. So, when Kyla struggles to get her words out, I feel that frustration, and anxiety sets in for me. But everything in this movie is represented by Kyla's struggle to get her words out. It's like feeling that you are almost there, but you can't quite get there. I kept feeling that for Steve and his mother. So when that first aspect ratio change hit, it was damn near cathartic. It just didn't last, it couldn't last. The second switch, I knew something wasn't right with it, because nothing in this movie had gone that smoothly. The three main actors deserve all the praise in the world as well, because they all killed it. From the quiet, subdued moments between the chaos, to the chaotic screaming and scuffling, to the joyous outbursts of momentary freedom, they just encapsulated the spirit of those moments perfectly. The choice of songs in this film was brilliant too, and I don't even like probably half of the songs, but they fit. I don't know the name of the song, but it might have been the first one that was played, just had me way down in the dumps depressed, so that restricted aspect ratio coupled with that song had me feeling all kinds of bad. And not very many times after that did the music inspire too much happiness, and there isn't anything to be happy about with this film except for the monumental achievement that it is. If I'm giving out stars, this definitely gets as many as you can throw at it.