Hubert, a brash 17-year-old, is confused and torn by a love-hate relationship with his mother that consumes him more and more each day. After distressing ordeals and tragic episodes, Hubert will find his mother on the banks of Saint Lawrence river, where he grew up, and where a murder will be committed: the murder of childhood.
What makes it extraordinary is its depth of feeling, which Dolan's age makes all the more impressive: he was just 19 when he made this.
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
5 Feb 2010
fresh:
A coming-of-age tale as ferociously raw as its teller -- the very young Xavier Dolan.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
5 Feb 2010
fresh:
Uneven but funny and audacious adolescent comedy from a talented beginner.
– Peter Brunette,
Hollywood Reporter,
6 Jul 2010
rotten:
There's much to praise, especially the oh-so-real dialogue, but true psychological penetration is lacking and Dolan's hunger to prove his talent results in a superfluity of styles.
– Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
6 Jul 2010
fresh:
As a director, Mr. Dolan has a freewheeling style, and he's self-dramatizing enough to want to call attention to it without being too much of a visual show-off.