Matthias & Maxime (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place primarily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Key scenes also occur at a lakeside cabin owned by Rivette, which serves as a secluded retreat that accelerates the emotional tension between the main characters.

• montreal
• quebec
• canada
• setting
• lakeside cabin

The story is set in the late 2010s in contemporary Montreal. The timeframe aligns with modern attitudes toward sexuality, friendship, and responsibility, reflecting current cultural conversations about identity and relationships.

• 2010s
• contemporary
• time period
• modern

The film explores three core themes: Love & Identity, which examines how a kiss between longtime friends challenges their understanding of themselves; Friendship & Denial, focusing on how repressed desires threaten long-standing bonds; and Art as Catalyst, showing how a student film project forces characters to confront hidden truths.

• themes
• love
• identity
• friendship
• denial
• art

Matthias is a motivated but uptight businessman who is dating Sarah. His promotion hangs in the balance, and he has carefully maintained a stable life. The kiss with Maxime unsettles his sense of identity and reveals deeper attraction he has long suppressed, leaving him anxious and introspective about what he truly wants.

• matthias
• character
• businessman
• identity

Maxime is a quiet, gentle bartender who cares for his abusive mother and plans to move to Australia for work. He forms a complicated emotional bond with Matthias after their kiss, balancing their long-standing friendship with new romantic possibilities while remaining introspective and open to change.

• maxime
• character
• bartender
• australia

Érika Rivette is a pushy film student who pressures Matthias and Maxime to star in her short film project. She uses the project to probe identity and relationships, often pushing others beyond their comfort zone for the sake of her art. Her fixation on the film creates tension within the group while she pursues her own ambitions.

• erika
• film student
• short film
• catalyst

Sarah is Matthias's caring girlfriend who tries to understand his emotional conflict and support him through it. She remains loyal but must navigate the strain of his uncertainty. Her presence anchors the relationship and contrasts with Matthias's internal turmoil as he grapples with his true feelings.

• sarah
• girlfriend
• relationship
• loyalty

The kiss between Matthias and Maxime, performed for a student film project, acts as a catalyst that exposes repressed desires and questions their understanding of friendship and identity. It becomes the turning point that forces both men to confront feelings they have long suppressed, challenging their plans for the future.

• kiss
• student film
• repressed feelings
• identity

The lakeside cabin owned by the wealthy Rivette provides a secluded retreat away from Montreal's urban environment. This setting accelerates emotional tension by removing the characters from their everyday lives, creating a space where the line between performance and reality blurs, and hidden truths emerge.

• cabin
• lakeside
• retreat
• setting

The film examines how friendship can be upended by evolving sexual identities. Matthias and Maxime confront denial as they try to maintain their lifelong bond while dealing with unspoken feelings. The narrative explores the fragility of friendship when personal truth clashes with expectations, showing vulnerability behind confident exteriors.

• friendship
• romance
• conflict
• denial

Érika's short film acts as a megaphone for hidden truths, forcing the characters to confront their emotions. The line between on-screen performance and real life becomes blurred as the kiss leaks into everyday interactions. The project intensifies social and personal scrutiny, accelerating the emotional reckoning and demonstrating how art can expose intimate realities.

• art
• film
• catalyst
• performance

The film delivers a hopeful ending that suggests a new, honest beginning, even if the path forward is uncertain. It explores whether love should redefine commitment or preserve the status quo. The story ultimately suggests that confronting hidden truths, though painful, can lead to authentic self-understanding and genuine connection.

• ending
• hope
• message
• truth