The Filmography of Xavier Dolan
Let’s take a closer look at Xavier Dolan, who is one of the most striking names in the world of cinema.
Xavier Dolan received great applause at festivals not only for the films he directed but also for the sexual identity searches of the characters he wrote.
His films frequently explore family relationships, mother-son dynamics, identity searches, and gender taboos. Dolan, who often uses aesthetic compositions, effectively utilizes the color palette, music, and framing to impressively convey the mood of the characters.
He won three awards at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival with his first film as a director, I Killed My Mother, and gave the first signal that he would gain a solid place for himself in the international arena.
His second film as a director, Heartbeats, about the tension between two friends who like the same guy, received a standing ovation at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
He won an award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival with his third film, Laurence Anways. The film, about a relationship spanning 12 years, also won the Queer Palm Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
He further consolidated his position in cinema by winning many awards with the films Tom at the Farm, Mommy and It’s Only the End of the World, which he directed between 2013 and 2016.
Dolan’s first English-language film, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, premiered at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival. The film received generally poor reviews, a first for Dolan’s career. Production struggled, and the storyline was altered. Dolan commented on this in an interview:
“For the first time, everything was painful and problematic from start to finish, from funding to post-production, and beyond. It would be inelegant to name precisely the people who were problematic, and I am finally proud of the end result, but we had to make very difficult choices. I lived all the disappointments that I could live, humanly and artistically. By switching to a large budget, a fragmented shooting, in English and on two continents, I had to face my own ignorance, inexperience, incompetence. Everything was new to me, I had the impression of coming out of my kitchen, that is to say, of my artisanal practice of cinema.”
His latest film as a director, Matthias & Maxime, premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The film, about two close friends forced to confront their feelings for each other after appearing in a short film, was nominated in seven categories at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards.
Dolan stated in interviews he gave in 2022 and 2023 that he wanted to retire. Following intense criticism over the interviews, Dolan shared a statement on his Instagram account:
“And I felt the need to make it clear that, I, for one, do not consider ‘art’ to be meaningless, nor ‘cinema’ to be a waste of time. ...I just don't wish to be making films again, as they do not make me happy anymore.”
Fans are still wondering if Dolan, who retired from film directing with his film Matthias & Maxime, will make a comeback.