J’ai tué ma mere

A precocious debut, 20 year old Xavier Dolan is writer, director, executive producer and star of J’ai tué ma mere. Hubert is a high school student whose constant bickering with his mother hides his love for her. Like most family fights, they escalate alarmingly to "I hate you!" but end with everyone eating dinner together. Hubert prefers the easy acceptance that his boyfriend Antonin's mother gives the two. He has not told his mother of the relationship which causes an added tension. At her wits end, the mother (and semi-absent father) agree to send Hubert to boarding school for his own good. But even here it's his love/hate for his mother (and his overall immaturity) that causes Huber his most angst. A solid debut effort for Dolan, I did find the film to become a bit too one-track, and would have liked it to turn in a new direction or offer some kind of resolution. But maybe Dolan is showing us that this is what family love is like: there's no end to your resentment, just as there's no end to your love. (7/10)