Tom at the Farm (2013) - Xavier Dolan

Tom, a young advertising copywriter, heads to the countryside for the funeral of his boyfriend.  On his arrival, Tom is surprised to learn that no one, including his boyfriend's own mother, knows who he is or his relationship with the deceased.  What begins as a quiet weekend of grieving quickly turns into a twisted game, as the brother of the deceased uses Tom's secret to his advantage, leading to an unsettling conclusion that exposes the man's dark past.  Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Form is a grim evocation of  the power fear can have on an individual in a fragile state.  The film's allegorical intentions centered around homosexuality are clear, if not a tad overwrought, with Tom's situation on the farm mirroring the fear, anxiety, and trauma a homosexual likely fears when attempting to "come out" to his friends and family.  The relationship between Tom and Francis, the older brother, is the centerpiece of the film, a confrontation fueled relationship that encapsulates the power of grief and how hard it truly is to accept loss.  Francis' character is the closest thing to an antagonist in the film, an individual intent on keeping his brother's homosexuality a secret by any means necessary.  He is in a state of denial about his brother, taking out his anger and frustration on Tom in a a twisted game that exposes Tom's inability to accept his lover's death.  The twisted relationships explored in Tom at The Farm are done in a way that would make Hitchcock proud, even if the film's last act reveal and overall self-seriousness approach become a bit much towards the end.  Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm is a frightening experience, a allegorical nightmare about grief and acceptance that is far from perfect but intoxicating nonetheless.

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