…………………………………………………

Tom at the Farm Movie Review

Tom at the Farm is a 2013 Canadian psychological thriller film directed by and starring Xavier Dolan. It’s a stylish and atmospheric, but highly implausible and stupidly plotted movie.

………………………………………………….

“Today a part of me has died and I cannot cry“

…………………………………………………..

A young man travels to an isolated farm for his lover’s funeral where he’s quickly drawn into a twisted, sexually charged game by his lover’s aggressive brother. First off, I am not a fan of this filmmaker. His style simply doesn’t appeal to my sensibilities and that is probably not going to change. The style over substance filmmaking that favors atmosphere over strong storytelling is not my thing and this movie is a prime example of that.

It boggles my mind how most critics would forgive the most ridiculous storylines in a film only if the technical aspects are strong. Story comes first and here it’s by far the worst part of the movie, so I cannot in good conscience rate it positively. It explores some interesting ideas, dealing extensively with repressed homosexuality and a complex sadomasochistic relationship. It’s a very Freudian story in its psychology and a highly atmospheric and intense one at that.

So I liked the ideas, but I still hated the plot. That is because it made absolutely no sense. This is one of those films where unfortunately the plot drives the characters instead of the other way around. How can I possibly enjoy the movie no matter how well it was made when I have countless questions about the probability of its scenarios.

…………………………………………………..

Why would the protagonist remain at this farm if his dead boyfriend’s brother would torture him so much? Why would he just not flee? And why did he eventually escape if he enjoyed being masochistic so much? Why would the mother not demand to be given answers about any of this more forcefully? And most importantly why would the brother not be in jail already? The movie seems to be operating in this weird world where there seems to be no law and order or any semblance of reality whatsoever.

I actually prefer Xavier Dolan the actor more than I like Xavier Dolan the director. He shot himself with a lot of homoeroticism, obviously showcasing his narcissism, but still his performance is quite strong and he is believable in the role. But the character is so horribly written as you never understand any of his motivations and what drives him to stay at this farm. Why he is obsessed with this psychopath is also never properly explained.

Speaking of Francis, he is approached more as a horror than a thriller villain, which I certainly appreciated. Some of those scenes where he tortured him were quite disturbing and the movie mined a lot of tension from their interactions. However, this character also did not work as we never get to know him properly or understand any of his crazy and/or improbable actions. The mother character is also rather unrealistic and possibly insane herself, but again that is never tackled at all.

…………………………………………………..

Tom at the Farm is quite a stylish film. It’s a minimalist production with only a couple of actors and mostly one setting, but it gets the most out of its location and the acting was quite strong across the board. The cinematography is excellent, the score is very intense and the movie is superbly edited and paced. It flows so well and is consistently riveting. But sadly the plot is incredibly stupid, the characters are so unbelievable and the situations are increasingly idiotic that I simply could not get past those glaring flaws.