Tom at the Farm

Tom, who writes advertising copy in Montreal, drives to rural Quebec for the funeral of his boyfriend Guillaume. The mother knows nothing about her son; the brother Francis knows everything and wants Tom silent. Tom steps into a lie and cannot get off the farm. Xavier Dolan directed and starred. The source is Michel Marc Bouchard's play, the first time Dolan adapted someone else's text. It is a clear break from his earlier work. Critics praised the departure from his romantic register and comparisons went to Hitchcock and Bergman. André Turpin's cinematography and Gabriel Yared's score drew particular notice. It premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2013, won the FIPRESCI Prize and got a standing ovation. It was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards including Best Motion Picture. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 78 percent. The worldwide gross was 687,505 dollars. Who it is for: viewers who like psychological thrillers and films where coercion works without visible violence. Who it is not for: anyone who needs the character's decision to stay to make sense. The film deliberately leaves that question somewhere uncomfortable.