Matthias et Maxime (2019/20)
Director: Xavier Dolan
Screenwriter: Xavier Dolan
Starring: Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas, Xavier Dolan, Anne Dorval, Harris Dickinson, Marilyn Castonguay, Antoine Pilon, Pier-Luc Funk, Catherine Brunet, Samuel Gauthier, Adib Alkhalidey, Camille Felton
Xavier Dolan has become a defining voice in contemporary melodrama, blending personal intensity with cinematic bravado to explore love, identity, and the fragile dynamics between people. His Cannes 2019 competition film Matthias et Maxime continues that work: it’s intimate, emotional, and carefully observed, combining the quieter tension of films like Tom à la ferme with the charged energy of Mommy, while tracing a narrative of departure and self-discovery similar in tone to It’s Only the End of the World. Centered on two lifelong friends, Matthias and Maxime, the film examines how a single moment can upset the balance of familiar relationships and force each character to confront what they feel and who they want to be.
The film opens with a single, skillful sequence: a cabin party scene where three conversations unfold simultaneously. Dolan stages each exchange to introduce character, hint at underlying conflict, and drive the plot forward. The editing becomes progressively brisk, cutting between wide shots and extreme close-ups to underline escalating tension and to give the audience everything it needs to understand the central premise from the start. This opening is both realistic and heightened—an everyday social moment rendered meaningful by how it reshapes the lives of the two men at its center. It culminates in a staged kiss that unexpectedly surfaces repressed emotions and sets the film’s emotional arc into motion.
At its core, Matthias et Maxime asks what happens when a contrived action reveals genuine feeling. Dolan explores longing and self-doubt with sensitivity, using the kiss as a catalyst for questions about identity, belonging, and the courage it takes to be honest. The screenplay avoids simple labels: the characters are layered, contradictory, and often surprising, which keeps the drama grounded and emotionally convincing. Rather than presenting archetypes, Dolan crafts people who feel lived-in—friends who bicker, joke, and hurt each other in ways that ring true, even as their internal struggles quietly intensify.
Performances are a major strength. Dolan, acting as Maxime, offers a performance that will be familiar to viewers of his earlier work but also shows growth. He balances vulnerability and defensiveness, capturing the awkwardness of a man who is uncertain of himself yet terrified of changing the way others see him. Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas as Matthias provides a strong counterpart: his reactions and silences convey as much as any speech. The supporting cast, including Anne Dorval and Antoine Pilon, help populate the world with credible relationships and competing loyalties, so the film feels like a small community whose dynamics are as important as the central romance.
Stylistically, Dolan opts for a more restrained approach here than in some of his flashier films. Where Mommy was kinetic and immediate, Matthias et Maxime often chooses quieter beats and slower revelations. That tonal restraint may disappoint viewers seeking high-concept storytelling or the stylistic excesses found elsewhere in his filmography. At times the film meanders, pursuing emotional depths that don’t always land with the precision of his most celebrated work. Still, those detours frequently reveal subtle character details and yield moments of genuine tenderness.
While Matthias et Maxime may not convert newcomers to Dolan’s cinema, it stands as a thoughtful, affecting entry in his body of work. It rewards viewers who appreciate character-driven narratives and careful psychological observation, offering a compassionate look at friendship, desire, and the difficulty of choosing a path when so much is at stake. For long-time fans, it reinforces Dolan’s strengths—his eye for intimate detail, his commitment to emotional honesty, and his ability to make seemingly small moments feel monumental.
18/24