LunarPoise

Xavier Dolan shapes a difficult but authentic tale of family trauma in a world where economic woes conflate with mental illness to show that even when love is in abundance, it may not be enough. The writing is observant in painful detail. The performances are gripping and raw. The ending is one that is both shocking and inevitable. Flawed human beings scramble around looking for acceptance, and to do the right thing. We can all relate, and that is why this film will stay with you for a long time after viewing.

Ozon masterfully tells a rural tale of family intrigue that raises more questions than is answers. That is all by design; the key pieces of the jigsaw puzzle happen off-screen, leaving the audience to speculate on degrees of culpability. Hélène Vincent as Michelle gives a masterclass in nuanced expressions. Michelle is a woman with a colorful past, one she neither tries to hide or revels in. We get glimpses of her attitude in a confident unspoken greeting to former co-workers at a funeral. In her relationship with her daughter, is Michelle the abuser or the abused?

Pierre Lottin as Vincent is equally enigmatic. His devotion to Michelle seems at first admirable, but then after a Paris visit, takes on shadows. If this pair are as evil as certain signs hint at, then Vincent is cult follower to Michelle's guru leadership.

A mother's devotion to her son is the stuff of legend, but this film suggests a grandmother's attachment to her grandson might just outstrip that. This film is both delightful and disturbing by turn. Classy, nuanced filmmaking that uses ambiguity in the right way.

Velvet Buzzsaw's mix of art-world satire and horror works well enough to have you laughing at some of the dialogue and holding your breath when someone is in peril. The visuals are impressive and playfully done - there is a scary primitive robot, and paint running off a canvas and up someone's legs was neat. And I liked the conceit of the same poor girl finding all the bodies. It just all feels like it is adding up to something, but then it doesn't. The actors are great and there is fun to be had in the journey, but it doesn't really go anywhere, even though it hints at having the potential to be more.