My Boy
2018 · 12m · Canada
Directed by Sarah Pellerin
Genres: coming-of-age, drama
Tones: dark, provocative, tense
At his older brother's bachelor party, a 17-year-old named Louis silently witnesses the rituals of a wild stag night, watching a pre-marital tradition curdle into a disturbing spectacle of toxic masculinity. Originally titled 'Mon Boy.'
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Everyone expects a moral sermon about toxic masculinity, but Pellerin just lets the camera sit there—which is somehow more damning than any lecture could be. The refusal to comment is the subversion.
A formally precise study in restraint that positions itself in a lineage of observational coming-of-age cinema; the near-silence recalls a kind of Dardenne brothers economy, though the subject matter sits in darker company.
The entire film lives in Louis's face—Pellerin's choice to abandon dialogue and let a teenager's micro-expressions do the moral work is the kind of constraint that forces every other decision (framing, timing, sound design) into sudden clarity.
Reviews
His character doesn't need words to portray his reactions and feelings, as actor Henri Picard seamlessly responds to each situation with subtle facial expressions.
Festivals
- Toronto International Film Festival 2018
- Canadian Screen Awards 2020, Nominee, Best Live Action Short Drama