Stylish French-Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan is currently one of the most talked about in the world. The young director (dude is 26) has seen all five of his completed features play Cannes, with this past winters Mommy his most acclaimed yet. Before Mommy however, he crafted a little thriller called Tom at the Farm, whose long road to U.S. distribution comes to an end this August thanks to Amplify.
Amplify, whos also releasing the incredible feminist thriller Felt this month, has announced an August 14th date for Tom at the Farm in theaters and on VOD. Dolan previously expressed confusion as to why Tom at the Farm hadn’t found a U.S. release, despite its genre leanings. Amplify’s CCO Dylan Marchetti agreed, telling Variety “I think its his most commercial film by far. I dont know what everyone else was thinking. Its smart, its sexy, its oddly dark. Audiences are going to respond.”
Tom at the Farm follows Tom, a young advertising copywriter, who travels to the country for a funeral. There, hes shocked to find out no one knows who he is, nor who he was to the deceased, whose brother soon sets the rules of a twisted game. In order to protect the familys name and grieving mother, Tom now has to play the peacekeeper in a household whose obscure past bodes even greater darkness for his trip to the farm.
Dolan adds, “Its hard to say in a fully modest way, but I was truly puzzled as to how exactly Tom at the Farm never landed distribution in the U.S. To me, it was by far my most accessible film. I mean, its a 90-minute psychological thriller, and its sort of gory, but then very conventional too. Im obviously psyched that Amplify Releasing has taken Tom under their wing. But the topic remains truly relevant can intolerance and psychological violence ever be dull? And Im proud to know the American public will be able to see it. And hopefully, like it.
Below, find the UK trailer for what looks to be a stark piece of work.
