Show me the movie

"What would you do if I died today?"

"I'd die tomorrow."

A lucky 13 days ago I was on a flight to Vancouver for my sister Anne's graduation from nursing school at UBC- congrats Anne!

As I stepped onto the plane and cozied into a coveted window seat, I must admit that I wasn't daydreaming about strolling oceanside, shopping on Robson, or stuffing my face with local food. No, I was thinking about something a little closer to home: The in-flight entertainment system just inches away from my nose.

Music obsessions aside, anyone who knows me knows that if my head isn't stuck in a book, if my eyes aren't scanning though magazines, or if my fingers aren't clicking through blogs, then my hands must be in the cinematographic cookie jar.

Yes, I was extremely excited to watch a film on the plane. There's something ego-boosting about watching a movie while cruising through the clouds and being served your drink of choice. It makes me feel like a celebrity. But then again, I sure paid enough to be treated like one- bring me more OJ!

So there I was, laid back, sippin' on gin and juice (minus the gin) and sifting through the movie selections, feeling light as a cloud.

But I didn't want to see just any old flick- I wanted to watch a film that would make me cry. It's true: I wasn't hungry for one of those free, individually-wrapped in-flight snacks (which, might I add, were never offered at any point during the 5-hour flight), I was craving catharsis. I hadn't seen an emotion-stirring, heartstring-tugging film in a long time and I wanted to be inspired; I wanted to feel humbled; I wanted to watch poetry dance in front of my eyes. Was that too much to ask for in a film?

Long story short, I didn't quite find the heartwrencher that I was looking for, but I did come across some of the most brilliant acting and cinematography I have witnessed in a long time.

Enter J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother):

Written, directed, and starring 20-year-old Québec native Xavier Dolan, J'ai tué ma mère is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about a gay teenager and his rollercoaster relationship with his mother.

The premise seemed simple enough and perhaps it was. But as hard as I tried, I just couldn't seem to get into the storyline. I felt as though I was missing key pieces of information required to delve deeper into the characters' minds and really immerse myself in the film. I just felt like something was lacking plot-wise.

Perhaps viewing the film on a screen the size of my wallet skewed my experience.

Nonetheless, I couldn't peel my eyes away from the pint-sized screen. Xavier Dolan is a truly hypnotic actor. He knows how to scowl, scream, pout, and brood like no other. All at once, he's strong and vulnerable, confident and insecure, loving and sinful. He has piercing eyes and a puppy dog face. I want to hug him and I want to slap him. God, he's beautiful.

Anne Dorval, who plays Hubert's (Dolan's) mother Chantale, is equally as enchanting. She's cold and bitter, lonely and fragile, and painstakingly longs for requited love.

Not only is this movie chock-full of dynamic actors, but it's also stylistically stunning. The film's 'rule of thirds' framing, confessional style close-ups, and slow motion sequences are especially dazzling.

And props to the film for featuring the eerie "Tell Me What to Swallow" by Crystal Castles. Great soundtrack too- a nice interspersing of modern and classical music.

All in all, this is the kind of movie I would only recommend to specific individuals because it's not one of those films where I could easily predict if someone would enjoy it or not. But if you're up for some high-quality acting, Dolan and Dorval certainly raise the bar.

I'm excited to see what's next for Xavier Dolan. Stay tuned.