I Killed My Mother (J’ai tué ma mère)
Speaking of foreign films, here’s one from Quebec. I Killed My Mother is the story of Hubert, a 16-year-old boy in suburban Montreal who has a complicated relationship with his mother, Chantale. To make matters worse, his parents are divorced, and he rarely sees his father.
One day when he’s mad at his mother, he tells his teacher that his mother is dead. When the teacher finds out that his mother is, in fact, alive, both his teacher and mother are understandably upset.
When Chantale finds out about her son’s relationship with his friend Antonin from Antonin’s mother, she’s hurt that Hubert felt the need to hide it from her. This leads to another fight, and Hubert decides he wants to move out. His mother agrees, but quickly changes her mind the next day.
Gay men often have a complicated relationship with their mothers. In most cases, their mom is their confidant, the parent they feel closer to, but not everyone is so lucky. Hubert and Chantale’s relationship is wild and tumultuous, but it’s clear the two still love each other.
And that’s what the film focuses on. It’s not about Hubert’s relationship with Antonin, or his affair with his Catholic boarding school classmate, Eric. It’s about the complex dynamics of a mother-son relationship, a story not often told in queer films.
The mother is usually the accepting voice of reason, like Jennifer Garner in Love, Simon, so it’s an interesting twist to see the struggle Hubert has with letting his mother in.
Next: 15 TV shows LGBTQ people should binge in 2018
What are some of your favorite LGBTQIA+ movies that we missed? Let us know in the comments!