Tom at the Farm is a French Canadian production, an adaptation of a stage play that largely escapes its theatrical roots. It is a slow burning psychological thriller with much to recommend. Xavier Dolan directs and stars as Tom, a young gay professional from Montreal. Following the unexpected suicide of his boyfriend, Guillame, Tom travels to Guillame’s family farm to attend his funeral. He stays at the farm with Guillame’s slightly disturbed mother and violent brother Francis. Despite the environment being a completely different to his, and the actions of Guillame’s family, Tom extends his stay with them.
Other reviewers have accused this film of being boring as the plot unfolds fairly slowly. I did not find that at all, as although the tension mounts gradually, it’s quite gripping throughout. However, I did find it a little inconsistent, with the actions of the characters not standing up to scrutiny. Tom has an early opportunity to leave after Francis threatens him at the wake. He doesn’t take it, and although his car is disabled, he doesn’t make any serious attempts to flee for a long while after that despite being abused by Francis.
Just as I got my head around the idea that he might want to stay, and he is somehow attracted to the way Francis treats him – and even that he reminds him of Guillame – he suddenly becomes desperate to escape. Triggered by a conversation with a barman who tells him about one particular violent act committed by Francis doesn’t ring true. The barman doesn’t tell him anything that he didn’t already know.
Having said that, the scenes that follow as Tom makes his escape, followed by the psychotic Francis are genuinely nerve wracking. Also, the creeping dread throughout the film is nicely realised. That is partly due to Gabriel Yared’s score, which recalls Bernard Hermann’s work for Alfred Hitchcock, and also for the assured performances all round. As well as Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal is convincingly scary as Francis, and Lise Roy is good as Guillame’s mother, Agathe, though I do have problems with that character’s personality shifts. A qualified success, with potentially better to come from the 25 year old Dolan.
Rating: 6 out of 10