Cannes Report, Day 9: Xavier Dolan Grows Up, Neon Falls for ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

Both Dolan’s “Matthias and Maxime” and Arnaud Desplechin’s “Oh Mercy!” made their debuts Wednesday

Xavier Dolan Cannes
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Xavier Dolan is “enfant terrible” no more. The director has now turned 30, and he got emotional and teary-eyed while introducing his latest film, “Matthias and Maxime,” on Wednesday at Cannes.

And critics could sense that his latest film suggests the director is slowing down and looking back on his youth with more sensitivity and even maturity.

“‘Matthias & Maxime’ deals with friendship and self discovery in a way that will be familiar to fans of Dolan’s previous work, but it is a, dare we say, more mature work,” TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote in his review, calling the film a return to form despite the young director’s blistering pace and constant presence at Cannes.

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