Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan (Heartbeats) impresses again with his latest award-winning melodrama charting a fraught relationship between a rebellious adolescent and his long-suffering mother.

In a near-future Quebecois suburb, Diane (Anne Dorval) is a trash-talking 50-something widow in stripper heels and sprayed-on jeans. Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon) is her troubled teenage son, expelled from a care facility and into her custody over his violent, ADHD-fuelled outbursts.

While mother and son attempt to negotiate their volatile but deeply heartfelt relationship, they attract the attention of Kyla (Suzanne Clement), a stammering, introverted neighbour. After inserting herself into the household and providing much-needed support to both mother and son, the interactions between these three very different personalities have quietly profound consequences.

Shot in a striking 1:1 aspect ratio, which seems to frame each character within their own personal prison, and with knockout performances from its uniformly excellent cast, this is a work of bracing visual dexterity and bold emotional resonance.

His fifth film in as many years, and demonstrating a new maturity to go alongside the seemingly limitless imagination and youthful energy, this is a film that fully justifies the prolific 25-year-old Dolan’s growing status as one of the outstanding new directorial voices of recent times.

• The evening screening of Mommy on Tue 31 March is part of our Cinébites deal: get a cinema ticket, veggie or meat cassoulet, and a drink (wine/beer or soft drink) for only £15.

Ticket prices: Screenings before 16:00: £5.50 full / £4.00 concessions. Screenings after 16:00: £8.00 full / £6.50 concessions.

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