Tom at the Farm

When Tom, a young advertising editor from Montreal, loses his boyfriend Guillaume at just 25 years old, he travels to Guillaume’s rural community to deliver a heartfelt eulogy at the funeral. There, he encounters Guillaume’s mother, Agathe Longchamp, who is unaware of her son’s sexuality and that Tom was his partner. Agreeing to stay at the farmhouse, Tom receives a shock when Agathe informs him about Guillaume’s brother, Francis. That night, Tom is confronted by Francis, who ominously suggests that Tom should deliver a eulogy that keeps Guillaume’s true identity hidden from Agathe.

At the funeral service, Tom ultimately decides against delivering his speech, choosing silence over revealing the truth; instead, music fills the air. Following this moment, Francis finds Tom in a bathroom stall, aggressively pressing him about the incident. Back at the farmhouse, Tom explains to Agathe that his choice to remain silent stemmed from disappointment with his own writing rather than the pressure from Francis. Although Agathe is aware that Guillaume had a lover, she mistakenly believes it was Sarah, a young woman and co-worker of Guillaume’s.

Even after the funeral has concluded, Tom opts to remain at the farm, lending a hand to Francis with the daily chores, like milking cows and assisting with calving. Their relationship is laden with tension; however, moments of levity arise as they share a dance in the barn, and Francis humorously claims to have named a calf “Bitch Ass” in Tom’s honor. One evening, Francis unexpectedly arrives home to find Sarah conversing with Agathe. Alone, he deduces that Sarah’s visit was orchestrated by Tom, believing he has convinced her to masquerade as Guillaume’s girlfriend, leading him to make aggressive and unwelcome advances towards her.

Sarah confides in Tom about her complicated history with Guillaume and her frustrations regarding Francis. During a tense gathering in the living room, Agathe is left reeling from her own questions—wondering about Sarah’s lack of mourning, the rift between Guillaume and the family, and the circumstances surrounding his death.

In a moment of disenchantment, Tom decides to visit the local tavern, where he strikes up a conversation with the bartender. When he mentions his stay at the Longchamp farm, the bartender reveals that Francis is forbidden from the bar due to a violent incident years ago. The bartender recounts that Francis violently attacked a man who had danced with Guillaume after a confrontation about Guillaume’s secrets, leading to the mystery of the young man’s disappearance. As Tom navigates the complexities of his grief and the truth surrounding Guillaume, he finds himself pursued by Francis, ultimately leading him to a service station where he encounters a man whose facial scars are reminiscent of the bartender’s harrowing tale.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 18:38