25-year-old Canadian wunderkind director Xavier Dolan is having a banner year. He’s already directed five feature-length films, and his next will star Jessica Chastain. Talk about a big co-sign —she’s basically the first big Hollywood actor to work with the young writer/director and is apparently a huge fan. He starred alongside Canadian acting icon Bruce Greenwood in “Elephant Song,” which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, and he had his first film, “Mommy” (his mother and mothers in general are among his favorite subjects) in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, after years of being in the Un Certain Regard section. To cap it all off, the film has been selected as the Canada’s official Oscar entry (and it’s nice to see someone other than an obvious hitter like Atom Egoyan chosen for once).
A new U.S. trailer has arrived, and while it’s not distinct from the ones we’ve seen before, it’s another reason why you need to have Dolan on your radar if you don’t already. Here’s the official synopsis for “Mommy.”
A feisty widowed single mom finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her unpredictable 15-year-old ADHD son. As they struggle to make ends meet, Kyla, the peculiar new neighbor across the street, offers her help. Together, they find a new sense of balance, and hope is regained.
The picture stars Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clement, Alexandre Goyette, and Patrick Huard. Roadside Attractions has picked up the movie for release in the U.S. —maybe someone will do the same for Dolan’s last film, “Tom At The Farm” which never came out stateside— and while there’s no official release date, Roadside says the movie will hit sometime January, 2015. Either way, if "Mommy" is Canada’s official Oscar entry, that likely means it’ll be receiving a quick 2014 awards qualifying run as well. Watch the new trailer below.