No, Hubert Minel(Xavier Dolan, who also wrote and directed) did not kill his mother, Chantale Lemming(Anne Dorval). That was something he wrote for a high school writing assignment. That does not make her any happier when she finds out, though. However, after things calm down, which is a relative state for this normally bickering pair, she offers to let him get his own apartment at the age of 16. But once he does find an apartment very much to his liking, she reneges on the deal. "I Killed My Mother" is a movie about communication between two people who have trouble expressing themselves to each other. As far as Hubert goes, he is at an age when he is just starting to define who he is and who he wants to be and does not feel supported by his mother. As far as Xavier Dolan goes, he shows promise as a director, especially in his use of two-shots. But ironically enough he has trouble communicating with the audience about his specific point of view. To quote Hubert's teacher(Suzanne Clement), who talks to their mother like this? Which is a question the movie never satisfactorily answers.

Holy crap was this intense, checked it out in June on a short trip to Montreal. Very personal, very painful film, a little immature but an incredibly heavy depiction of a boy losing touch with his mother. Run time might have been only about an hour and a half, I honestly felt like I was in the theatre all day. This film was lauded at Cannes and rightfully so, it's like a more intense Denys Arcand work and with any luck, young M. Dolan will join his forebear at the top of Quebecois and Canadian cinema in due time. A gripping film that everyone should see (once they get the subtitles on it and release it south of the 49th parallel, should be September '09).