Tom at the Farm (2013) User Reviews

Brilliantly tense story and acting all the way through.

[koen_smit · 8/10 · 13 March 2014]

I was one of the lucky people to see this movie tonight at the Dutch festival 'Roze Filmdagen' (Pink Film Days) in Amsterdam before it will hit the art-house cinemas here in april. It was the opening film and the festival director Werner Borkes made clear in his opening speech that he felt like a very lucky man to be able to show us this movie already. I must say, the expectations were high and growing and most of the time high expectations are hard to live up to. But not this time.

Canadian wonder child Xavier Dolan (born in '89) adapted the play by Michel Marc Bouchard, who co-wrote the script for the movie. Dolan is also playing the lead character Tom, who visits the family of his deceased lover for the funeral. The mother and homophobic brother live on a farm and when Tom tries to leave after the funeral, the brother doesn't let him. What follows is a psychological warfare between the characters and the big question is: will Tom be able to leave and does he want to…

The movie is tensed from beginning till the end and the music (with a lot of strings) is used well to accompany and strengthen the secluded and somewhat claustrophobic life on the farm. Besides the tension, there is also a lot of humor in the situations and dialog that seems to turn on a dime into an awkward situation for Tom. Especially the part where Tom is talking over dinner about the so-called girlfriend Sara with the mother, who doesn't have a clue what Tom's relationship with her son is, and the brother is a memorable scene. All the actors are great and deliver the lines from their toes.

Xavier Dolan is especially one to keep an eye on, this is already his third movie in his 24 years young life and he knows how to tell a great story the right way.

Engaging yet not entirely convincing of its' character's credibility and justification for their actions

[lefkiosvanrooy · 6/10 · 28 March 2016]

Tom a la ferme is probably the most commercial of Dolan's films up to this point in his career. I say this because the movie includes a lot of the features that a good psychological thriller uses to keep its audience engaged. The chasing scenes, the intense score, the many close ups of our main character played with intensity and magnetism by Dolan himself. Dolan introduces a complex relationship between the villain and the victim, one we don't often see in this type of genre. While the villain here always remains violent, dangerous and cruel, at time he's also seen to be extremely vulnerable, and in a way is in need of his prey not for food, not for fulfillment of the usual need for sadism that describes such villains, but for company and affection. In his own twisted way Francis is dependent on Tom not leaving, as he does not want to go back to this lonely and secluded life he found himself in after choosing to stay behind and take care of his mom. This duty Francis feels to please his mom and help her with the farm as well as the mother's sorrow and pain felt in the aftermath of her son's death is one of the prominent topics in Dolan's films, the bond between mother and son. At some point in the film, this desire of Francis to keep Tom in the farm goes beyond the need for compassion, with scenes of sexual tension between the two becoming more and more common as the movie progresses. After attempting and failing to escape, Tom starts to find the eerie and intense life in this dysfunctional household get to him as he refuses Sarah's offer to get him out of the farm, and in a way developing a Stockholm syndrome. The lamb that once needed to escape the wolf's nest, now finds his position there and realises his importance in consoling the grieving mom and helping out the man that needs him and at the same time abuses him – this strange co- dependency is in fact what makes this thriller so intriguing. This comes to an end when Tom finally realises the danger he's facing after he finds out about Francis' past. All in all, while the film provides a storyline engaging enough to keep the audience watching, it never really manages to wow the audience at any point, nor does it manage to convince us of the credibility of its characters, with a lack of justification for many of their actions.

Hitchcock would be proud

[rubenm · 7/10 · 19 April 2014]

In 'Tom a la Ferme', Canadian director Xavier Dolan creates a maximum of suspense with a minimum of resources. Three people in an isolated farmhouse, a secret shared by two of them and the psychotic behaviour of one of them - that's it. Despite the lack of action and the slow pacing, the story is so intense it gripped me from start to finish.

Tom is the lover of the recently deceased Guillaume, and visits Guillaume's mother and brother to attend the funeral. But Guillaume's mother doesn't know her son was gay, so the brother makes Tom act as if he was straight, and forces him to talk about an imaginary girlfriend. The brother doesn't hesitate to use violence in order to keep up the charade, and even immobilizes Tom's car so he can't leave. While secrets from the past are slowly uncovered, the situation becomes more and more unbearable for Tom.

More than once, this movie made me think about Hitchcock's best films. There is the very prominent soundtrack, complete with shrieking violins. Also, like Hitchcock, Dolan uses location as an essential element in the story. And there are small scenes that add to the unsettling atmosphere, like a dead cow being dragged away, a taxi driver who refuses to enter the driveway of the farmhouse, or the blood on the hands after the birth of a calf.

'Tom a la Ferme' is not perfect. It is rather slow, and some scenes are a bit strange. For example, Guilaume's mother bursts out in hysterical laughter after Tom quotes some perverse language from the imaginary girlfriend. But overall, this is impressive film making.

(By the way: there's a very good a cappella interpretation of Michel Legrand's 'Les Moulins de mon Coeur' during the first scene. It isn't listed on IMDb' soundtrack section, but apparently it's by Canadian actress/singer Kathleen Fortin).

Complex, subtle, flawed but engrossing

[thomasshahbaz · 7/10 · 9 August 2014]

This film succeeds in pulling off what "Stranger By The Lake" totally failed to do. The darkness draws you in and intrigues us, and the characters are brilliantly acted and engaging.

Some of the editing is slightly strange, or perhaps the narrative would be a better way to describe it, i.e. there are a couple of transitions between scenes where I found I was having to piece things together arbitrarily, in my opinion, meaning I had to concentrate hard. However I'd much rather this than everything being spelled out in children's building blocks as is the way with many American films.

This is one of the few "gay" films I've seen that had hardly anything superficial and stereotypical about it, and wasn't depressing to watch as a gay man.

Hats off to the guy who played the crazy brother: dark and scary, but the homoerotic tones and suppressed desires sound through his silence, creating a fascinating villain, again, something which the aforementioned other French-language gay thriller completely failed to do, managing only to be faintly embarrassing and ridiculous.

Good but a confusing main character

[proud_luddite · 6/10 · 30 June 2019]

A young gay man from Montreal travels to rural Quebec to visit the family of his recently deceased partner and attend the funeral. The visit turns into a nightmare. The film is based on the play by Michel-Marc Bouchard who co-wrote the screenplay with director Xavier Dolan. Dolan also plays the main role.

Dolan uses powerful techniques to stir emotion in this bizarre thriller. He also gets great performances from the actors including himself.

The trouble is in trying to understand and empathize with the main character, Tom. He seems to have little or no survival instincts to take care of himself, sometimes even deliberately walking into further trouble.

This is made clear, maybe intentionally, in the second half of the film when Sarah, a friend from Montreal, enters the scene. Sarah at least shows the survival instincts clearly lacking in Tom. There are some hints as to why Tom stays in the dreadful situation but the inconsistencies in his actions cause too much confusion.

Dolan is a powerful artist with much promise at his young age. This was shown in "I Killed My Mother" and "Heartbeats". "Tom at the Farm" has potential but doesn't quite meet the level of the other two films. - dbamateurcritic.

A really good film with psychologically disturbed characters

[Gordon-11 · 27 June 2015]

This film tells the story of a man, called Tom, who pays an unannounced visit to his late boyfriend's farm in a small town in Quebec. He meets the brother who is violent and widely feared by the whole town. Yet, Tom is attracted to danger and stays at the farm.

This story is really captivating. It has so many subtle clues as to what the psychologically disturbed characters are thinking, which explain their behaviour. It drives viewers to think deeply about the reasons for their seemingly inexplicable behaviour, which is engaging and thrilling. Tom is clearly very attracted to being abused, and his psychological state is portrayed vividly by the film. There are some really dangerous moments in the film, making it thrilling. I really enjoyed watching "Tom at the Farm", and I look forward to watching other films by the same director.

Psychological Analysis of Hidden Sexualities

[l_rawjalaurence · 7/10 · 29 January 2015]

Set in a lonely farm in Quebec, TOM A LA FERME concerns the inner life of the eponymous central character (Xavier Dolan) mourning the death of his lover. He goes to his lover's family's isolated farm for the funeral, and there encounters the mother (Lise Roy) and her other son (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), neither of whom were aware of the dead lover's sexuality.

The film concentrates on the gradual discovery by the family of their dead son's secret, and how it affects them. Francis is both horrified yet strangely affected; as the action unfolds, he develops an unnatural affection for Tom that is both sadistic and sexual. The mother seems to be unaware of what's happening around her, but perhaps she is just deliberately blinding herself to the truth as a means of self-protection. Tom finds himself imprisoned at the farm; even when his close acquaintance Sarah (Evelyne Brochu) comes to visit, he cannot contrive an effective escape.

TOM A LA FERME concentrates on the ways in which people conceal their private inclinations, even from their nearest and dearest, and the damage that actually causes them. This is especially true of Francis, who emerges from the film as a seriously disturbed character, masking his sexual inadequacies beneath a veil of strength. Yet the process of self-discovery for all the characters is an enabling one - so much so that when Tom finally escapes from the farm, he does not appear very happy to have done so. The film ends with a shot of him re-entering the city of Montreal, the lighted skyscrapers flashing by outside his car windows, with his face set in an expressionless gaze as he drives. It seems that 'freedom' for him is nothing more than a form of imprisonment; by extension, therefore, his imprisonment at the farm was an opportunity to discover some form of freedom.

Filmed on a series of bleak winter days in stark, washed-out colors, TOM A LA FERME is a searing psychological examination of sexualities and how they are often willfully concealed.

A sensual time bomb

[FrenchEddieFelson · 8/10 · 8 April 2019]

We distinctively perceive the characteristic atmosphere of Xavier Dolan's films: all the characters are on edge or even disturbed, and this dark and sensual film is made with a hyper sensitivity and a keen sense of photography.

First at all, Agathe is a mother who mourns her younger son died recently, and seems to understand the whole topic (undisclosed although you do not have to be a genius to intuit it) but represses her feelings and intuitions. Then Sarah a female blonde as hot as lost, and Francis, a farmer who is sexually attracted by Sarah (who would not be?) and hides himself behind a homophobic shell. Right in the middle of this bloody mess, Tom acts, contrary to appearances, like a temporary keystone, the whole microcosm gravitating around him. Although Tom is systematically delicate and cautious, especially with Agathe and even with Francis, in this farm, there is definitely a before and an after Tom, like a bull in a china shop, like a vault without its keystone.

A must see.

Not Entirely Successful, but Still Worth a Watch

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 31 August 2015]

This cinematic baby of director/writer/actor Xavier Dolan is a moderately successful suspense film that is prevented from being more successful by its desire to be strange and enigmatic rather than forthright about its intentions.

Dolan plays a young gay man who visits the family of his recently deceased lover to attend the funeral. There, he finds himself adored by the oblivious mother who didn't know her son was gay, and hated by the crazy, violent brother who hates that his sibling was gay and intends to keep that knowledge from his mother at all costs. This plays out mostly as you would expect, with an increasing sense of claustrophobic dread. Why Dolan's character doesn't just leave this potentially dangerous situation is adequately explained through various plot devices, some of them imposed on him by external circumstances, some of them arising from his own internalized motivations. Dolan gives a very good performance, but the actor who plays the abusive antagonist is poorly cast, not menacing or threatening enough to be convincing. And a late-act plot development involving a fake female love interest for the dead brother does more to derail the movie than heighten its suspense.

Still, those looking for an off-kilter watch will probably be satisfied. This movie reminded much in tone of last year's release "Strangers by the Lake," though that is a much better film than this one.

Grade: B+

He did it again.

[DrTomatoe · 8/10 · 25 November 2013]

I've recently seen "Tom à la ferme", and it's safe to say that Xavier Dolan is one of the most important directors alive today. With just 25 years, he has proved to have the maturity and intelligence to make amazing films, which are not only magical in their visual aspect, but in the depth of their screenplays as well.

Having said this, "Tom á la ferme" is no exception. Great movie, wonderful to see, and a very interesting story which is, as always, about love. However, every time Dolan shows us his vision of love, he does it in a very different way. This time is about a lost love, and the submissive aspect of it. Brilliant performances as always, all taking place in a very gloomy farm, the authorial work of Xavier Dolan just keeps getting better, so my advice: let's pay attention to this wonderful filmmaker.

Never really manages to engage

[Sir_AmirSyarif · 6/10 · 8 June 2020]

Competent performances from the movie's acting department - Xavier Dolan is superb, matched well by Pierre-Yves Cardinal - but 'Tom at the Farm' never really manages to engage thoroughly with its thinly sketched characters and uninvolving conflicts.

Dolan ventures into the dark area in a psycho-sexual thriller

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 25 March 2015]

To follow the chronic order, I decide to watch this film before Dolan's latest MOMMY (2014), which has just freshly arrived. TOM AT THE FARM is Canadian prodigy and Cannes darling Xavier Dolan's fourth film, adapted from Michel Marc Bouchard's play, this marks the first time he is not the sole writer for his works, it is also a veer of style for him, delves into the murky suspense and violence of a psychological thriller, and notably, in its highly strained chasing-in-the-forest incident near the coda, it conspicuously recalls another exceptional gay-themed thriller Alain Guiraudie's STRANGERS BY THE LAKE (2013, 8/10) of the same year, but these two films end with two completely contrasting options for our protagonists who both face irresistible sexual attraction from the sort who is too dangerous for their own good.

Sported as a perennially tacky curly blond, Dolan plays Tom, an urban advertisement editor who has just lost his boyfriend Guillaume in an accident. Driving en route to attend his funeral in a remote farm, Tom meets Guillaume's family members, his mother Agathe (Roy) and his brother Francis (Cardinal) who lives with her and whose existence has never been informed to Tom until now. On top of that, Agathe seems to be unwitting of Guillaume's sexual orientation, so Tom has to comfort her grievance by telling a white lie that Guillaume has a girlfriend named Sarah (Brochu), who in fact is just one of their common friends. Yet, Francis is the one who actually knows it all, his violent and homophobic behaviour towards Tom strikes a sadomasochistic thrill, which is not merely one-sided, as the film not-so- subtly implies Francis is a closeted homosexual himself. They both desperately or compulsively trace the resemblance or remnants of the deceased in each other, to the degree, Tom actually complies to act as a voluntary hostage on the farm and even enjoys the pastoral drudgery. One night Sarah's visit inopportunely provokes Agathe's deeply- buried agony, while apart from Francis' overcompensated interest in Sarah, Tom learns a horrible episode of his past from a bar owner, which overturns his perception of the tight corner where he is in. The second day, he decides to flee and turns his life back on track.

Here, Dolan again plays the Aspect Ratio gimmick, in the scenes where Tom is physically abused by Francis, it changes from the usual 1.85:1 to a more smothering letterbox; and if one is familiar with his narcissistic disposition, here he continues to wallow in close-ups, mostly on himself especially when Tom is anguish-ridden or being suffocated to barely catch a breath under Francis' masculine domination. While the entire film is coherently enveloped in an overcast dreariness, the close-knitted cast (both Roy and Brochu are from the original play) has done an amazing job in establishing the engaging tensions and occasionally a smack of warmth glistening. Roy and Cardinal are the MVPs, the former is offered a soul-pulverising flare-up while being consistently emotive during all her presence, and the latter beefs up his boorish machismo with very disarming appeal which superbly gilds an atmosphere of ambiguity in Francis' deadly mystique; on top of that the two together also builds up a detrimental mother-son relationship, which also wittily insinuates what has happened to the mother in the end, it is an innovative modus operandi to justify the plot-line without revealing everything in front of viewer's eyes.

As for our triple threat Dolan, with his Joker-alike makeup, he shows beyond doubt that apart from the ostentatious style bandwagon, he certainly is on his way to mature into a multi-faceted filmmaker who is able to tackle with the darkest corner of humanity and leaves his own trademark on it. A final nod to Dolan's cherrypick of songs, Rufus Wainwright's GOING TO A TOWN, appears in the ending credit, is an utterly poignant theme song for Tom's bumpy ride.

Very solid psychological thriller from Dolan

[aaskillz69 · 6/10 · 25 September 2014]

"It's for you Sarah. It's all yours now, yes? Why not take the box? Why not do what you should do? Why not this sad? Why not run to his grave? Why not bring me flowers? Why didn't Tom speak at the church? Why i let my son visit me? Because he said he would call and write! What kind of accident was it? With whom was he? How was it when, where, how! Nobody dies at 25! Nobody, Nobody, Nobody!!!

-Agathe

Well last year when this premiered at Venice i was pretty interested in seeing what kind of buzz it would come out with, and the buzz was overall great, the Toronto buzz was also good and since then the movie as been on my watchlist. Before this one i had only seen two movies from Dolan those being "Laurence Anyways and "I Killed my Mother", i liked "Laurence" quite a bit but i was disappointed by "Mother" and non of those movies were really my cup of tea although something like Laurence Anyways was undeniably good. So i went in to Tom at the Farm reluctant but hopeful that it would be a worthy experience.

Tom at the Farm is Directed by Xavier Dolan and it stars Xavier Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy, Evelyne Brochu, Manuel Tadros and Jacques Lavallée. "The story of Tom, who is in the grip of grief and depression following the death of his lover. When he meets the family of the deceased, it is revealed the mother was not aware of her son's sexual orientation, or his relationship with Tom either, for that matter."

It's been more than half a year and still only a few fortunate people have been able to see this movie, that hasn't even been released yet at the U.S. Tom at the Farm was well received, mostly positive reviews but i still get the feeling that this was Dolan's less applauded work and i got to say that i don't really understand why because Tom at the Farm might be my favorite of his. OK well it might not be the movie i enjoyed the most, maybe i enjoyed Laurence Anyways a bit more but i would probably say that this one is the one that audiences will find easier to watch . I found "I Killed my Mother" to be completely uninteresting and i was bored out of my mind and "Laurence Anyways" was a bit to long and Tom at the Farm does not have any of those problems. One of the problems i had with the previous two movies was to follow the narrative, it was a bit to abstract(probably not the right word) and it was hard to keep an interest in what was going on. But this doesn't happen here, i was actually surprised by how engaged and interested i was actually in the movie's plot.

The movie follows the title role, Tom, and the movie begins with him crying clearly heartbroken and we soon get to see that someone who was close to him died. He drives into the country, into a farm where he breaks in to a house. We soon find out that there a lady and his son live there and that there is a family connection between Tom's lover and this family. The name of the lady was Agather and her son Francis and the person that died was Agathe's son(Guilahume) and Francis brother.

No one was expecting Tom although he was his boyfriend, worst than that no one seems to know that Guilaume was gay. The only one that knew this was Francis his brother and he is a redneck motherf*cker and he is making sure that his mom is not going to know the truth and he says that a Sarah was dating him although she doesn't even go to the funeral.

Tom seems to be in a difficult situation, he can't say the truth to Agathe but well something worst happens. Francis starts playing games with Tom, he wont let him get out of the farm, he will beat him and then treat him well. There is also some palpable sexual tension between the two. It's kind of weird but between the beating, and the dancing and the cow's birth Tom actually gets familiar with the farm and kind of fells in love with Francis.

There is a lot going on at the same time. At times Tom tries desperately to get out of the farm and then later one saying that he loves the farm that there everything is really. We never really get a sense of Tom and Francis mental state they are both clearly disturbed, Tom seems to love and hate Francis at the same time and the same thing with Francis that seems to despise Tom and to heterosexual being proud of being on and then being sexually attracted to Tom. These physiological nuances make Tom at the Farm be a edge of the seat physiological thriller and a movie that is no doubt worth seeing.

Technically the movie is also pretty great, the does look great and all the camera work and score really intensify the physiological instability of these characters. The acting is also great, Xavier Dolan not only proves to have some talent behind the cameras but also in front of the cameras, all the rest of the supporting cast is goo by the way. Overall i enjoyed Tom at the Farm much more than i was actually expecting to, good movie no doubt on that but i'm still reluctant in saying that i'm excited about this new comer Xavier Dolan

Rating:B-

A fragmented work, a complete lack of unity

[frnciscocarmona · 5/10 · 13 April 2014]

I just watched this movie as part of the 56th Muestra International de Cine at the Cineteca Nacional, in Mexico City. As I noted in the synopsis, the director is also the protagonist, something that I don't consider sane for a movie. But the storyline seemed attractive. And my intuition was right: an excessive use of extreme close-ups, not helping to the narrative, but making it boring and exasperating. And yes, most of the close-ups, specially the long-lasting ones, were on the main character. I don't know the original text (I know it's a theatrical text), to make a difference between failures in the original story and the version of the director. The characters are interesting. They're strong. But I couldn't understand the basis of their actions. There is a scene when characters are doing this, and the next they're changing, and then they're going back, and then they make a new thing... The only well-presented character is a secondary one, appearing as much as 15 minutes. The actress in the role of the mother makes a very good work, but it's diluted by the failures in the story and the lack of strength in the work of the co-protagonists. At the end, I found the director being the protagonist, also made the selection of the music, the scenery, the dialogs (interestingly, the playwright helped with the dialogs). And it made sense with the result. A fragmented work, a complete lack of unity.

Dolan mark

[Vincentiu · 1 June 2014]

more than good/bad work, it is a film by Xavier Dolan. and that fact reflects talent and ambition but seems be only beginning. a dark, almost confuse film who has as support the common points with another films from same genre. a remarkable performance - Lise Roy -, interesting music , well dialogs. but without roots for characters intentions or actions. and that fact does entire story in deep fog. at final,beautiful film, nice images, interesting cinematography. and after the applause for Xavier Dolan - as director and actor, the taste of experiment. good homework but not really enough. the themes are the good thing. the atmosphere - in same measure. but, at the second view, it could seem a form of waist of spices. it is not a problem - it is only a Xavier Dolan film. the colors, the message, the search. each personal in high measure.

Xavier Dolan, my inspiration

[proelomarta · 7/10 · 9 January 2019]

Tense story with brilliant acting. Xavier Dolan, as an actor and as a director doesn't fail this time either!

One scene captured my imagination .....

[cekadah · 9/10 · 9 March 2015]

.... and I think Xavier Dolan threw in a subconscious symbolic message no one has picked up on.

If you want to read about the plot of this movie there are plenty of reviews here that focus on that. I want to write something here that occurred to me maybe 3 or 4 days after viewing 'Tom at the Farm'.

Near the end of the film after Tom has escaped from the farm and evaded the attempt by Francis to capture Tom in the woods, we see Francis walking away from the camera and on the back of his jacket is an American flag! That image left me a bit confused as to why a bold American flag.

Then it occurred to me that maybe Dolan is making a statement that Francis represents what the USA is today - a neurotic phobic bully. And that is what we are given in the Francis character. The mother 'Agathe' represents the many citizens of the US that refuse to see or try to comprehend what is happening in their country. The unknown 'victim' of Francis represents the countries that have dared to 'talk-back' to what America does. And Tom, he represents the friendly nations to America and what Francis does to Tom is what the US has and is doing daily to it's friendly nations.

I realize this may be reading more than really exist in this movie but ... this is the effect 'Tom at the Farm' had upon me.

Hypnotic

[W011y4m5 · 9/10 · 8 November 2019]

A tense, beautifully shot & directed homo-erotic psychosexual thriller - Tom At The Farm is both intensely gripping, unnerving & disturbing - unlike anything Xavier Dolan had done before (or since) throughout his filmography... Utterly unique in comparison to the rest - the venture in to such unfamiliar territory resulted in a surprisingly effective & impressive movie well worth a watch from audiences who've previously admired his other work.

And another great job

[wangdichaoyang · 9/10 · 14 May 2014]

Finally I got the chance to see the fourth film made by Xavier Dolan. First of all, congrats on getting into Cannes. Looking forward to see Mommy soon.

I have been waiting to see Tom at the farm for way too long. I have to say I hate an ending like this but I don't see any other way to end strongly and kind of liked the ending. Many people seem to be doing it (If memory serves, C.O.G. has the same ending). I like how the movie captures the aspect of what every character wants, needs and fears. It was thrilling and make me really want to know what happens the next second. I have to say I love the depiction of the desire to control and to submit. Nothing else is more satisfying to experience.

Good job. As always, there is a mother figure that is interesting to consider. Just like Tom, I'm completely subjected to the brother and I love the part that the brother yells "I need you in my life". /Sorry if I got a little personal there.

I watched the end title through and there is a little plot left in the very end. It's not very necessary, but I guess it gives some people who must need a resolve some consolation.

Still thinking about the corn field scene. I have been expecting to see a sex scene but I'm happy with the fact that there isn't one. Making a exciting movie without a sex scene is like writing a good song without cursing, which makes it all more powerful.

Could not disagree with the reviews more.

[reefrunner19 · 1/10 · 28 March 2014]

A very subjective review, and I hate having to put down a film (as an aspiring film director myself), but I would just want to present my personal view of the film, hopefully without ruining it for any of Dolan's fans or anyone who worked on the film. WARNING: This review may be harsh.

I saw it at the BFI London Film Festival back in October of 2013. The second film I saw at the festival (following Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity"). Having heard of Xavier Dolan's apparently impressive skills vastly out-spanning his young years, I entered the theatre with much anticipation, and excitement given my immense love for psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, I could not be more disappointed with a film than I was with "Tom At The Farm".

FAR too long for the slow pace of the story, I feel that the narrative does not amount to anything. The audience is made to wait an hour and forty-five minutes, and is aching for Tom to just leave the farm, which when he finally does, everything in the story is left completely unresolved. A waste of time in my opinion. An agonising wait with little to no character development or resolution to conflicts to keep the audience interested.

"Tom At The Farm" utterly failed to keep me engaged, and just as much as I was dying for Tom to just leave the farm, I was dying to leave the theatre.

Dolan's best film by a longshot

[kenztay · 9/10 · 15 January 2021]

It's a shame Dolan has not made another thriller style movie like this. Tom a la ferme is an absolute sensation of a film. The performances of the main characters are exceptional and the music is fluid and syncs very well with the scenes and feel of the film. The chemistry and scenes shared between Dolan's character of Tom and Pierre St Cardinal's Francis are engrossing and as a viewer, you never know if they are going to give into their physical and sexual attraction to each other or instead if it's going to end violence and aggression. You won't find another Dolan film like this one, sadly, and that's maybe the reason this one stands out so much.

the pacing was a little slow but i still loved it. i need more psychological dolan!!!

[mehobulls · 8/10 · 16 September 2020]

Dark and enthralling portrait of grief, love, loneliness, madness, attraction, the human condition. It gives us its all. Yes, it is flawed, but it takes chances and it delivers most of the times. It touches you, it scares you, it grips you and doesn't let go, while doing it beautifully. Great stylistic tricks with the format changes.

An Absolutely Compelling Psycho-Sexual Thriller

[kaiserin_lavlav · 10/10 · 6 December 2021]

This film might actually be my very favorite. The way it's shot (sublime, vaguely vintage-like, rather grainy and somewhat distant character-wise) is what corresponds to my aesthetic exactly. I love the trope of the return to nature combined with the numbness of grief, that ultimately shape the optimal setting for a psychological thriller such as this. Violent, psycho-sexually-oriented and intense, this film tells the story of a young man who mourns the loss of his lover and finds himself both physically and mentally trapped in his partner's birthplace, a farm, the residents of which deny the sexuality of their deceased loved one. Numbed by grief and entrapped in his lies he falls victim to his lover's older brother's abuse, which he's unable to escape, as the mother's imperious, all-seeing shadow watches it all unfold yet still allows it to happen.

This film is a piece of art. The well-paced storyline, engaging and intense as it is, the excellent rendition on behalf of all the actors alike, the stunning photography, and the melancholic setting captured so beautifully, make up a powerful psychological thriller that you can't completely get off of your mind. Xavier Dolan's best picture, in my opinion.

Boring

[silmarieni · 4/10 · 28 October 2014]

I really fail to see the brilliance of the movie or of Xavier Dolan. Admittedly, it is the first movie of him I watched, and I will Watch others to try to understand why everybody think he is a Genius.

On the story. Parents not aware of their child's sexuality and relatives trying to hide the truth. Really not original or special. It isn't enough to make a good film, perhaps a short. Other than that it's very slow, and there is little to feed on, be it images or music. And full of clichés such as the violent and rough farmer. It is also not clear why he feels the need to disfigure the brother's friend in a bar, nor why he wasn't jailed for it or nobody questioned him about it, neither brother nor parents nor police. Or was it fine for his brother to have someone disfigured for him in a bar?

What strikes about Dolan is this movie, apart from the horrible hair color, is how he seems to like filling the screen most of the time. I hadn't a stopwatch, but it feels like he is filling the screen, mostly his head, 50-70 % of the time or more. Are we supposed to be ecstatic about the acting?

All in all, this is a movie, that in my opinion, one can afford not to watch.

Let's just say that nothing strikes as interesting or remarkable, from the story to the photography to the original soundtrack. Acting is OK.

One for the ages

[carrot_bIue_blood · 9/10 · 6 March 2015]

This film succeeds on all levels. The darkness draws you in and intrigues you, and the characters are brilliantly acted and engaging.

Some scenes might be a bit hard to follow and there is this certain order in which they are played that might raise a few eyebrows, but that's really the only slightly comment i could possibly give about this movie.

This is one of the few "gay" films I've seen that had hardly anything superficial and stereotypical about it, and wasn't depressing to watch as a gay man.

Hats off to the guy who played the crazy brother: dark and scary, but the homosexual tones and suppressed desires sound through his silence, creating a fascinating bad guy, again, something which other bigger budget movies completely failed to do, managing only to be faintly embarrassing and ridiculous. This one however is a keeper.