AFI FEST Los Angeles International Film Festival 2009

While the youthful impulse to create is almost universal, the ability of teens and young adults to translate their life experiences into powerful, appealing songs, poetry and film is often limited. First-time filmmaker Xavier Dolan—a big-time winner of four prizes in this year’s Directors Fortnight at Cannes— is the exceedingly rare young artist who succeeds in effectively capturing the energy, exuberance and messy passions of adolescence on film. The semi-autobiographical work tells the story of a young man (natch) who is navigating his way through the world, grappling with his emerging sexuality, his various lovers and, most of all, his embarrassment about his mother. I KILLED MY MOTHER is a raw and rollicking piece of cinema that pulls no punches, allowing its emotions to spill out in a jagged flow. It is a bold and assured debut from a filmmaker who will undoubtedly be offering much more in the years to come.

–Lane Kneedler