Mommy (3 Stars)

This is a French film made in Canada in 2014 by the prolific young director Xavier Dolan. It's about a woman, Diane Depres, who puts her difficult child Steve in a home after her husband dies. His diagnosis is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), a modern illness that became common when parents stopped hitting their children. He's sent home when he starts a fire that badly injures another child.

Diane has difficulty dealing with Steve, who's now 15. She doesn't send him to school because she's worried that he'll cause problems. Isn't that a crime in Canada? Fortunately, she finds an alternative. Her neighbour Kyla is a schoolteacher who's been forced to take time off work because she's developed a stutter. Kyla offers to give Steve personal tuition.

Diane and Kyla become close friends. Steve's behaviour gradually improves, but he's still a problem child. He's also a financial burden. According to a review in Time Magazine, the film is about "the ferocity of a mother's love". I don't see it that way. It's true that she loves her son, but when it gets too tough she shows that she doesn't love him enough, and she puts him back into care. She says that she's doing it for his own good, but that's an easy excuse to make.

The film won a series of awards, including the Jury Prize in Cannes, but it doesn't appeal to me. I can't relate to any of the characters. I'm indifferent to the son, and I don't like the mother.

Success Rate:  + 0.7

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