I Killed My Mother

J'ai tué ma mère

Canada, 2009

Drama, LGBT+, Comedy

Synopsis

Hubert Minel dislikes his mother. For his sixteen years, with contempt, he only sees her ugly sweaters and kitschy décor. Confused by their love-hate relationship, he moves through the rites of passage of adolescence.

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I Killed My Mother Directed by Xavier Dolan

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Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival

2009 | 3 wins including: C.I.C.A.E. Award

Toronto International Film Festival

2009 | Winner: Jay Scott Prize

International Film Festival Rotterdam

2010 | Winner: MovieZone Award

São Paulo International Film Festival

2009

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Cast & Crew

Articles from the Notebook

Has Herr Dolan Really Run Amok?

Once widely acclaimed, the Québécois enfant terrible is now dividing critics and fans. Can one find a fresh point of entry to Dolan’s films?

Critics reviews

Dolan has Jenny Lumet’s rare talent for cannily transplanting to paper how people use language as ammunition—how words ricochet during squabbles in unpredictable ways and reveal the best and worst in us all. But I Killed My Mother is a film best heard than seen, as the earnest, nimble scrubbiness of Dolan’s screenplay is ill-served by his conceited visuals, an aesthetic mode that feels insecurely borrowed from perfume commercials and the work of Jean-Luc Godard and Wong Kar-Wai.

Ed Gonzalez

March 14, 2010

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The House Next Door

Dolan masterfully negotiates the travails of learning to navigate those emotions, reconciling ourselves as best we can to the people we hate and love. Dolan’s film is visually intricate (alternating between warmly-lit tableaux and cinema vérité black-and-white footage) and droll, while being emotionally affecting. Quite frankly, this is one of the best directorial debuts I’ve seen in quite some time…

Veronika Ferdman

January 02, 2010

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No literal murder takes place in this energetic character piece, but the relationship between mother (Anne Dorval, superb) and son seethes with enough mutual acrimony, complicated by fleeting bursts of real tenderness, that it’s a wonder neither one of them keels over from sheer exhaustion…

Mike D'Angelo

May 24, 2009

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What are people saying?

Diego Bustamante's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
Diego Bustamante

An extremelly sincere coming-of-age drama from a 19 year old Xaviar Dolan.
February 06, 2017 19:31
- 1
- 0
Vipin's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
Vipin

Brilliant, a teenage director, autobiographical, cinema at its most potent use...
February 06, 2017 07:58
- 1
- 0
Noah Lethbridge's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
Noah Lethbridge

Really smart, playful, impressive. I wanna see all of this guy's stuff.
August 30, 2014 22:22
- 1
- 0
Nadia's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
Nadia

"I do not love my mother, but at the same time, i can't stop loving her". This quote was in my head. And it still makes me think ...even months after seeing the movie.
September 17, 2019 17:42
- 4
- 0
smndvdcl's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
smndvdcl

The car-ride arguments reminded me of Kiarostami's 'Ten'. This precocious debut gives the illusion that film-making is effortless. From the James Dean allusions, to the conversational beats, the cornered framing of shots and the patience to let the arc of the narrative breathe, it is a remarkably accomplished first offering and testament to the capabilities of lo-fi indie film-making.
August 23, 2017 00:24
- 1
- 0
HKFanatic's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
HKFanatic

Many of the signature elements one associates with Xavier Dolan - the languid slow motion takes reminiscent of Wong Kar-wai, the James Dean references and youthful angst - are present and accounted for in his debut effort "I Killed My Mother," only they feel less conscientiously deployed. Fortunately, these stylistic flourishes would coalesce only a year later with the wunderkind's sophomore effort "Heartbeats."
January 24, 2019 18:15
- 3
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Kamran's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
Kamran

Review published at Aesthetics of the Mind: https://aestheticsofthemind.wordpress.com/2015/07/07/i-killed-my-mother-dolan-2009/ An astounding debut by French-Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan conveying the stark reality of a mother/son relationship. The inspiring use of music, refrain, slow motion, and home video shows a creative talent as expressive as the Pollock-esque painting... Read More: 86/100 - Excellent.
July 07, 2015 23:28
- 1
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ig_____or's rating of the film I Killed My Mother
ig_____or

It was a good first picture for Dolan. It didn't marveled me as some of his most recent works. Most of the time I just wished Hubert would calm the f*ck down and tried to have a decent conversation with his mother about whatever were their issues with each other. Anyways, the movie had some very good scenes and Anne Dorval was top-notch!
January 24, 2019 17:45
- 5
- 0