Diane "Die" Després lost her husband three years ago. Since then, she's struggled with finances, and keeping track of her son Steve, who's ADHD only got worse and worse after his father died. The film only mentions the father a few times, and doesn't ever mention how Die managed to grieve, if she even did at all. Did she suppress her emotions? Is that why her life is slowly falling apart? Due to her struggles, she holds no social life, and little to no friends. She is isolated.
Steve's ADHD also causes him isolation. With his anger, he becomes dangerous and violent. In his love, he becomes too affectionate, to the point where he kisses his mother on the lips. Deep down though, he means no harm...both him and Die know this. Yet these acts of violence only causes more and more isolation. Perhaps just like his mother, Steve didn't have the support he needed when his father died. And to this lack of emotional support, his grasp on his emotions fell apart, only worsening his ADHD condition. When a man comes near Die, Steve acts with hostility. Despite how the men may mean well, Steve is overly protective of his mother, to the point of self destruction. Maybe he's worried that he'll lose his mother as well, and can't bare the notion of having lost both of his parents.
Their neighbor across the street, Kyla, is what connects them all, a trio comforting one another. Kyla is suffering from PTSD, due to an unknown event at a high school she taught at. She can barely speak, barely move. Yet around Die and Steve, she begins to step back into her body, and into the world. Kyla's husband shakes his head at her, shaming her condition. But Die and Steve respect her. They let her speak her mind without judgement. They encourage her her when he lets loose to dance. They accept her, and through that acceptance, she accepts Die and Steve despite their brutal, violent, emotional struggles.
Despite her quietness, Kyla holds buried rage. When Steve won't quiet down while she;s babysitting him, she leaps on him and pins him to the ground, threatening him with comments about his deceased father. Steve recoils and weeps.
These three characters hold pain buried within, yet only allow themselves to breath around one another. Perhaps it's through their pain that they understand one another. Everyone around them seemingly has their life together, except for them. They find comfort for one another. It's due to their traumatic pasts that offers them a different perspective on life; moments of being carefree, brought with moments of respect for one another that no one else could provide. They are both each other's biggest champions, for better or for worse.
What Xavier Dolan manages to do is to get in the pscyhe of his characters in various different ways, especially through his condensed, 1:1 ratio, reflecting the narrow, constrained feelings of stress his characters endure. The ratio only expands when the characters are experiencing freedom. When Die, Kyla, and Steve are bicycling with one another, Steve expands the ratio himself, symbolizing how they can be completely free and stable around one another. And moments before Die brings Steve to a caring facility, the ratio expands once more in a daydream of what Die wanted for her son: a normal life full of charisma, success, and love. Or more accurately, it could be Die accepting that this dream of hers is no longer possible. Here too, the expanded ratio aspect could reflect freedom, as Die is no longer bound to her hopeless wish of a normal life for her and her son.
Their neighbor across the street, Kyla, is what connects them all, a trio comforting one another. Kyla is suffering from PTSD, due to an unknown event at a high school she taught at. She can barely speak, barely move. Yet around Die and Steve, she begins to step back into her body, and into the world. Kyla's husband shakes his head at her, shaming her condition. But Die and Steve respect her. They let her speak her mind without judgement. They encourage her her when he lets loose to dance. They accept her, and through that acceptance, she accepts Die and Steve despite their brutal, violent, emotional struggles.
Despite her quietness, Kyla holds buried rage. When Steve won't quiet down while she;s babysitting him, she leaps on him and pins him to the ground, threatening him with comments about his deceased father. Steve recoils and weeps.
These three characters hold pain buried within, yet only allow themselves to breath around one another. Perhaps it's through their pain that they understand one another. Everyone around them seemingly has their life together, except for them. They find comfort for one another. It's due to their traumatic pasts that offers them a different perspective on life; moments of being carefree, brought with moments of respect for one another that no one else could provide. They are both each other's biggest champions, for better or for worse.
What Xavier Dolan manages to do is to get in the pscyhe of his characters in various different ways, especially through his condensed, 1:1 ratio, reflecting the narrow, constrained feelings of stress his characters endure. The ratio only expands when the characters are experiencing freedom. When Die, Kyla, and Steve are bicycling with one another, Steve expands the ratio himself, symbolizing how they can be completely free and stable around one another. And moments before Die brings Steve to a caring facility, the ratio expands once more in a daydream of what Die wanted for her son: a normal life full of charisma, success, and love. Or more accurately, it could be Die accepting that this dream of hers is no longer possible. Here too, the expanded ratio aspect could reflect freedom, as Die is no longer bound to her hopeless wish of a normal life for her and her son.
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