Mommy 2015

In a fictional turn of events following the 2015 Canadian federal election, a political party comes to power and enacts S-14, a controversial law that allows parents of troubled children and those with limited finances to hospitalize their children without regard for due process. Die Anne Dorval Després, a widowed mother and 46-year-old advice columnist, picks up her son Steve Antoine-Olivier Pilon Després from an institution after he starts a fire that injures another youth. The pair return to their new home in Saint-Hubert, and Die struggles to manage care amid mounting financial strain. When Steve brings home a cart of groceries and a necklace that reads “Mommy,” she suspects he stole the items, and a fierce confrontation ensues—Die swats at him with a glass frame to defend herself as chaos erupts. Enter Kyla, a neighbor and teacher on sabbatical, who arrives to tend to Steve’s wounds and offers a steadier presence.

Kyla Suzanne Cl is a quiet, observant figure who has recently moved in with her husband and daughter; she also carries a stuttering problem that colors her interactions. She begins tutoring Steve, hoping to help him channel his energy, but a tense tutoring session ends with Steve goading Kyla and triggering a sharp escalation. After the clash, Steve pulls back and reveals he respects her boundaries, and Kyla notes how he reminds her of her late son. The trio begins to find an uneasy rhythm: Die can secure some cleaning and translation work, Kyla’s speech issues seem to ease, and Steve’s academic performance shows improvement. For a while, it seems like life might be stabilizing.

But the legal storm hits when Die is served papers from the parents of the boy injured in the fire, suing her and Steve. In need of help, Die finds a Patrick Huard as a lawyer and a Alexandre Goyette as a neighbor who are willing to assist with Steve’s case. The three of them head out for an evening at a karaoke restaurant to discuss strategy and support, sharing a fragile sense of camaraderie amid looming pressure. At the venue, Steve’s anxiety grows as he interprets the atmosphere as a threat to Die, and a taunting crowd escalates into a confrontation that ends with them being asked to leave. A tense exchange between Die and the lawyer follows, during which Die slaps the lawyer after he slaps Steve, and the three of them depart in a charged silence.

Despite the uneasy postscript from that night, Die and Kyla press on with rebuilding their lives and trying to safeguard Steve. Their efforts are shaken when Steve vanishes during a shopping trip with Die and Kyla. Kyla finds him later after he has slit his wrists, though he survives. The moment deepens Die’s awareness that options are running out and urgency eclipses doubt. Then comes a quiet, wrenching gesture of attempted hope: a picnic arranged by Die and Kyla to offer Steve a glimpse of a brighter future. But this moment is overshadowed by the grim reality of S-14. Die’s perception of the situation shifts as she realizes the trio may be headed toward a hospital stay for Steve, a deception that leads to an emotional reckoning.

Kyla announces she will move to Toronto, and Die encourages her departure, grateful for the time they shared, even as Kyla awkwardly acknowledges “abandoning her family.” Die clings to a fragile thread of hope that her life—and Steve’s—can still unfold in a meaningful way. Kyla returns home after the visit, and Die quietly breaks down, finishing her translation work and preparing dinner while missing a phone call from Steve.

Back at the hospital, Steve, restrained in a straitjacket, leaves a voicemail apologizing to his mother. When the restraints are loosened, two officials remove them and Steve charges toward a bright, open window, a stark, unanswered question about what comes next. The ending lingers on the tension between care and constraint, love and control, and the uncertain path forward for a mother who loves her son deeply but finds that the system’s reach may be beyond what she can bear.