London Film Festival Report: The Falling & Mommy

By Lawrence Speaight.

The London Film Festival may not be the most prestigious in the world, and clearly doesn't match the reputation of Cannes, Venice or Toronto, but there's still some excellent film-making to be found. I certainly had an excellent experience last week where I saw an dark-horse Oscar contender, the newest offering from one of the most talented young directors in the game and two very impressive low-budget British films. In my next article I'll be focusing on 'Second Coming' and 'Whiplash' but first of all, here are reviews of 'The Falling' and 'Mommy'. 

The Falling - 4 Stars

My first visit at the Festival was to the stylish Curzon Mayfair, where I saw the talented Carol Morley's first feature length film 'The Falling'. Morley's absorbing debut focuses on a fictional all-girls school in the 1960s that has been gripped by a mysterious fainting epidemic. The hysteria that subsequently sweeps through the teenagers is compelling to watch and has echoes of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'. Just like in Miller's play, where the society in question rejects what is unfamiliar to them, the heads of the school refuse to accept that the girls are in any way ill.

One of the more pleasing aspects of the film is the wealth of young British actresses, many of whom are first-timers. The cast is led by Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams (Arya from Game of Thrones), who are both extremely impressive as Abigail and Lydia. Interestingly, most reviews of the film have picked out Pugh as the star turn, however I'd argue that Maisie Williams puts in a far stronger performance. The character of Lydia is an undeniably complicated one, but Williams uses this to her advantage displaying grit, power and a sense of ambiguity throughout, whilst also giving the audience some truly moving moments towards the end. This is not in any way to knock Florence Pugh who shows terrific screen presence throughout, but Maisie Williams deserves more plaudits than she is receiving. Lydia's strange and confusing behaviour is present in all the girls at the school and the audience is constantly at a crossroads wondering just how genuine their illness is. Morley does an excellent job at highlighting the difficulties of perception and how hard it is truly to understand someone.

Because the film was being screened at the London Film Festival I was lucky enough to enjoy a Q and A session with director Carol Morley and co-lead Florence Pugh after the performance. Morley made numerous interesting points about the film, most fascinating though was what she said about nature. Throughout the movie much of the cinematography seemed to focus on the wildlife around the girls, and Morley confirmed that she was interested in displaying nature as some kind of relief to the teenagers. In a modern world dominated by social media and technology it's refreshing to see Morley present a world where nature plays a valuable role in young people's lives. With the film being set in 1969 it's understandable that some may have concerns about how the film could be related to the present day. However, due to Morley's subtle direction, the film has an almost timeless feel to it and the hormonal relationships between the girls appear fairly similar to those experienced by 21^st century teenagers. It could be said, therefore, that this is a film that would strike a more personal connection with women rather than men. This may be true, but either way this is a brilliantly bold and original piece by Morley, whose burgeoning career only seems to be heading in one direction.

Mommy - 5 Stars

Xavier Dolan is special. There's just no other conclusion that can be drawn from the Canadian's early career, one that has spawned a remarkable five films, all of which have been critically acclaimed. His latest, and surely best, continues with the maternal theme of 'I Killed My Mother', though unlike Dolan's aforementioned debut, 'Mommy' puts a greater focus on the mother figure. The mother in question, Diane Despres (Anne Dorval) is forced to take care of her violent, unpredictable son Steve (Antoine Oliver Pilon), who has just been released from the hospital treating his ADHD. Steve's battle to control his problems encounters many ups and downs, though his condition seems to reach a turning point when he receives support from shy, mysterious neighbour Kyla (Suzanne Clement). However, Steve's issues never quite escape from view.

It's Dolan's unique vision as a director that makes this such a masterpiece, a film that is beautiful both visually and emotionally. To highlight Dolan's distinctive style, the film is shot in 1:1 ratio, meaning the visuals are seen in a square frame with black bars on either side. Unconventional to say the least. Yet this unusual format proves a masterstroke as the dimensions force us into the centre of the screen and, hence, place more emphasis on the characters themselves. Therefore their emotions are depicted far more clearly and we feel a greater connection to them. Dolan confirmed that this was the idea behind the 1:1 ratio in a recent interview, 'No distractions, no affectations are possible in such constricted space. The character is our main subject, inescapably at the centre of our attention'. This unique effect wouldn't be possible without the outstanding performances of the three leads. Antoine Oliver Pilon is tremendous as Steve, displaying all of the complexities one would expect from someone with his behavioural problems. Pilon seems angelic at times, making Steve appear a sweet-hearted boy with hope for the future, but it only takes a moment for him to take on the guise of psychopath, grabbing his mother viciously by the throat. Pilon's portrayal of Steve is exceptional, but the performances of Anne Dorval and Suzanne Clement are equally majestic. Dorval was extraordinary as a not-so-dear mother in 'I killed my Mother', but she's just as good here as the thick-skinned Dianne who struggles to keep control of Steve all by herself. Luckily for Dianne and her son they attract the attention of high-school teacher, Kyla, living across the street, who gives Steve the educational support he needs. Suzanne Clement, playing Kyla, is the most introverted of the three, but still manages to give a compelling performance that is heartwarming and occasionally tragic.

With a director as wacky as Xavier Dolan nothing is ever going to be perfect, and with 'Mommy' self-edited by Dolan himself it's probably far longer than it needs to be. Yet despite the film's length there was never a dull moment and, such was the enthralling nature of the story, I never found myself willing it to end. The score has also caused debate, with Dolan generally picking mix-CD pop tunes from the likes of Celine Dion and Oasis. Once again this doesn't follow what might be considered the norm, but at times it works beautifully and the montage that accompanies Wonderwall in the middle of the film is one of the moments of the year. It's no surprise that 'Mommy' received a 13 minute standing ovation at Cannes as this is an truly astonishing piece of film-making, and one certainly wouldn't be shocked to see this walk away with best foreign language film at this year's Oscar's.