Scene Analysis 2 – Mommy

Mommy (2014), directed by Xavier Dolan, is one of my favourite films of all time. I could speak for days about how much I love it, I literally don’t shut up. This scene in particular is my favourite. The film as a whole basically explores the theme of family and this scene encapsulates everything that Xavier Dolan wants to say about it and condenses it into three minutes of pure cinematic heaven. It just shows a family having an absolute ball and forgetting about the worries that can consume a life.

In this scene, Dolan perfectly hones in on the theme of family by portraying a tight knit unit that is making the most of their time together and just having a great time. The use of mid shots throughout the scene are perfectly executed to frame the family in unity, whilst also expressing the feelings of intimacy and togetherness. The francophone Celine Dion song ‘On Ne Change Pas’ plays, which means “one doesn’t change”, which can be translated in the context of the film, to represent the nature of the family portrayed in Mommy; a family that is strong but also fragile to the core. Xavier Dolan does an incredible job at capturing raw emotion by utilising an array of cinematic techniques.

The lighting in this scene is fairly low key and dark, which further adds to the intimate nature of the scene. Spotlight lighting is employed (presumably the kitchen lights) to really focus on the characters’ dance movements as they connect with each other and make the most of the joyous moment. As Diane (mother) and Steve (son) dance with each other, they convince Kyla to join them. This piece of character development allows the mental boundaries between the characters to crumble and for the natural enjoyment of the actors to really show on screen. The coverage of the scene adds to this, as it is quite simple in nature. A few mid shots are featured, keeping the scene relatively simple in a “what you see is what you get” way. As the scene concludes, it’s easy to see how the theme of family is explored thoroughly.