I saw Xavier Dolan‘s psychological thriller Tom at the Farm at the Toronto Film Festival two years ago, but it never found its way to U.S. theaters following that screening. Thanks to Amplify it’s finally making its way stateside, set to release on Aug. 14 and the first official domestic trailer is now here.
Written, directed by and starring Dolan, the film centers on Tom, a young advertising copywriter, travels to the country for a funeral. There, he’s shocked to find out no one knows who he is, or his relationship to the deceased, whose brother soon sets the rules of a twisted game. In order to protect the family’s 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.
As much as I love Dolan and will gladly watch this or any of his films again, Tom at the Farm isn’t one of my favorites, though the fact it’s a departure from his more personal work, delivering something more Hitchcockian gives you good reason to check it out. Here’s a snippet from my review:
I’ve tried to come up with something to compare it to, but I’m at a loss. Cinematically it feels unique in its own right and my first instinct is to call it some sort of B-movie thriller, though that too doesn’t feel right, just as a tonal comparison to something like Repulsion or Diabolique is similarly wrong. Tom at the Farm has a madness all its own.
The film co-stars Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy and Caleb Landry Jones in an uncredited role as Tom’s deceased lover, you can read my full review here and check out the trailer below.
