Awards season is tailor-made for disappointment, but you can add Anne Dorval to the list of actresses who clearly did not get the praise they were due. The 54-year-old French Canadian collaborated with writer/director Xavier Dolan for the fourth time with “Mommy,” a drama which finally hits U.S. theaters on Friday and, boy, she's pretty damn great in it.
Dorval gives a charismatic and heartbreaking turn as the film's title character, a woman trying to deal with an almost uncontrollable teenage son (Antoine-Olivier Pilon) thrust unexpectedly back on her doorstep. After the film took home a jury prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival there was some faint hope that perhaps a critics' group here or there might give Dolan enough year-end love to thrust her into the Oscar field, but all of her kudos (so far at least) have come from north of the border. That being said, “Mommy” is one film that will absolutely put the veteran actress on your radar.
Roadside Attractions has been kind enough to provide HitFix with an exclusive clip from “Mommy,” which is embedded at the top of this post. It finds Diane (Dorval) laying down the law with Steve (Pilon) who — surprise — has already made things difficult for her since his return.
As for Dolan, the outspoken filmmaker is currently prepping his first English-language production, “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan,” which will reportedly star Kit Harrington, Jessica Chastain, Kathy Bates and Susan Sarandon.
“Mommy” opens in limited release in New York and Los Angeles on Friday.