I Killed My Mother
A fiercely intimate Quebec coming-of-age drama follows a queer teenager whose contempt for his mother masks an inescapable hunger for her love and approval.
Overview
A raw exploration of the tumultuous bond between mother and son, marked by both fury and affection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- raw
- witty
- confrontational
- reflective evening
- cinephile viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Xavier Dolan's raw, blunt, emotionally deep debut while acknowledging some unevenness and adolescent excess.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hubert's contempt for Chantale coexists with an obsessive need for maternal recognition and affection.
Xavier Dolan directs and stars in a semi-autobiographical debut centered on experiences of adolescence and family conflict.
Arguments about clothing, decorations, manipulation, and guilt are presented with savage fury alongside melting affection.
Hubert's male homosexuality, illicit experiences, friendship, and ostracism accompany his struggle to establish independence from his mother.
Films like I Killed My Mother, and why
The 400 Blows
shared raw coming-of-age drama, queer adolescent identity, and emotionally volatile family conflict
Murmur of the Heart
shared intimate mother-son tension, autobiographical sensibility, and psychologically layered domestic drama
Tomboy
shared lgbtq adolescence, artistic self-discovery, and painful movement toward emotional independence
Mommy
shared confrontational family drama, heightened emotion, and distinctive young auteur filmmaking
Movie Details
- Director
- Xavier Dolan
- Release Date
- 2009-06-05
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1184)
Cast
- Anne Dorval
- Xavier Dolan
- François Arnaud
- Suzanne Clément
- Patricia Tulasne
- Niels Schneider
- Monique Spaziani
- Pierre Chagnon
- Justin Caron
- Benoît Gouin
Common questions
- What is I Killed My Mother about?
- A fiercely intimate Quebec coming-of-age drama follows a queer teenager whose contempt for his mother masks an inescapable hunger for her love and approval.
- What is I Killed My Mother like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Killed My Mother as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is I Killed My Mother violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in I Killed My Mother.
- What did critics think of I Killed My Mother?
- Critics broadly praised Xavier Dolan's raw, blunt, emotionally deep debut while acknowledging some unevenness and adolescent excess.
- Which films are like I Killed My Mother?
- Films with a similar feel include The 400 Blows, Murmur of the Heart, Tomboy, and Mommy.
- How long is I Killed My Mother?
- I Killed My Mother runs 100 minutes.
