Musical Break: Mommy's Céline
Monday, February 2, 2015 at 2:08PM Manuel here trying to turn this wet and slushy frown upside down with some help from the movies.
As Nat noted this weekend, that might be one of the better responses to an alleged Oscar snub in recent memory but as with all "snubs," we have the films and boy has Xavier Dolan's Mommy seared itself into my brain. And so I'm using it today to help me brave this icy, cold, rainy weather we're having in the North East today (anyone buried under lots of snow?)
One of the best scenes in Dolan's film is set to Céline Dion's "On Ne Change Pas" and that song has been in constant rotation on my Spotify ever since (actually all of the songs from that film have!) Dolan has quite the gift for pairing radio-stamped hits with transgressively appealing scenes that don't just work as stylistic juxtapositions but as helpful characterizations. In the film, Céline's song functions as a cultural touchstone as well as an opportunity for bonding between the three main characters, leading to one of the most memorable dancing sequence in a film this past year. Kudos to Antoine Pilon for making Ms Dion so youthful and sexy even as most of us had written her off as, ironically enough, mom-soundtrack material. If you needed more reason to seek out this film, let it be a reminder (or, in my case, an introduction) to the beauty that is Céline's French-language repertoire:
Dolan's film is out in 83 screens; has it made it near you yet? Did you enjoy its synaesthetic sensibility and have also since rediscovered Dido, OneRepublic and Eiffel 65?
Reader Comments (6)
I wouldn't say I love it, but the truth is I can't stop thinking about it. Suzanne Clément fascinated me and every single song was delight.
I took Dolan's "Um..." tweet to be poor sportsmanlike, like he thought he was owed it. Thinking you deserved it is one thing, but tweeting that you deserved it is quite different.
I didn't love the movie either (though I liked it enough) and would say that I was a little letdown by the "On Ne Change Pas" scene despite loving the song and having heard great things about it. Dolan definitely knows how to put a scene to music though. I'd vote for "Colorblind" as my favorite scene put to music in the film. I loved the skateboard choreography.
My favorite film of the year! Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Aniston both gave us magnificent work in 2014. But even they don't top Anne Dorval's incredible performance. Magnani-level
fireworks - but then the whole movie packs an amazing wallop. Can't wait to see it again.
More interested in his English language debut. Chastain, Sarandon, and Bates. It was as if he asked me to cast his movie. And he loves them all especially. I hope the veteran divas of the cast are rewarded with long delayed nominations.
I am a big fan of Celine's french repertoire and have always loved this song, and this scene just made me see it in such a new level. Really amazing skill that Xavier Dolan has with all the details in his movies, and soundtrack is one of them.
Dolan is getting better with each film. "Mommy" has his most empathetic characters, but it is still flawed. He should perhaps resist shouldering so many jobs on his projects starting with editing. Why was this movie 2.5 hours long? For every impactful moment is a storyline that adds nothing to the film. He's getting better but he's still in the promising category for me.