Matthias & Maxime (2019)

Director: Xavier Dolan

Stars: Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas, Xavier Dolan, Pier-Luc Funk
Runtime: 119 minutes

Synopsis: A drama focusing on a group of friends in their late 20s.

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Editing: 5/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: Xavier Dolan is in my eyes one of the most underrated directors working today. All of his films emit sort of a film school vibe that I really enjoy as it brings a certain intimacy to them. He often works with themes of mother issues ("Mommy") or sexual identity ("I Killed My Mother") and his latest project is no exception to that rule.

Matthias and Maxime are long time friends who find themselves in a tricky situation. While acting on a scene together, they are required to kiss one another, an act that led them to question their friendship and contemplate if there isn't something more to it. Beautifully portrayed by Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas and Dolan himself, the two titular characters' internal struggle was well documented but lacked a little depth overall, especially in the film's first half which surprisingly leaned on a more comedic side that didn't entirely work for me.

Critics of Dolan's work tend to point fingers at the half-messy structure of his films, which never bothered me as I found it to be in line with their overall tone. However, I have to admit that I felt it in "Mattias & Maxime", as things either moved too quickly or too slowly, ultimately leading to a blur in the narrative I couldn't get behind. The idea is there, the passion is also present, but the execution could've benefited from a little adjustment for it to properly achieve what it was aiming for.

The 2019 Palme d'Or nominee is far from being my favorite Xavier Dolan projects but I definitely wouldn't call it a bad movie. It has its moments, especially in its second half, but overall did leave me with a taste of imperfection.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10