Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas
Matthias
Overview
Two childhood best friends are asked to share a kiss for the purposes of a student short film. Soon, a lingering doubt sets in, confronting both men with their preferences, threatening the brotherhood of their social circle, and, eventually, changing their lives.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
SWITCH.
It’s hard not to be swept up by ‘Matthias and Maxime’. This is a film made with such love and care, sincerity and grace, showcasing everything that makes Xavier Dolan such an arresting filmmaker and distilled into their purest form. What made my heart soar was in how it laid bare how complex human relationships are, how pointless such binaries as gender and sexuality are, how love between two people is greater than simply defined as friendship or romance. ‘Matthias and Maxime’ refuses to play into such simplistic categories, instead celebrating the wonder of love and human connection without the need for them. Maybe some viewers will try and pigeonhole the protagonists as “gay“ rather than just two people in love to make themselves feel more comfortable, much like the bi-erasure in many responses to <a href=“/article/review-call-me-by-your-name-beautiful-beyond-description“>‘Call Me By Your Name’</a>, so pointlessly obsessed are we with useless outdated labels, but that would be such a loss to their experience of the richness of this film. ‘Matthias and Maxime’ is a quiet triumph, a tender love story beautifully told, a reminder of how deep the rivers of love can go, how violent travelling them can be and how so very worth the journey is. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-matthias-and-maxime-a-magical-film-on-the-complexity-of-friendship-and-love
Read full reviewCinemaSerf
I was rather disappointed by this effort from Xavier Dolan. Perhaps writing/editting and starring in the film robbed him too much of objectivity when it came to actually watching this bit of a non-story. He portrays "Max", a young French-Canadian man who is about to emigrate to Australia. At a party with his childhood friends, he and handsome best pal Matt (Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas) get lumbered with starring in a video being made by one of their number's pesky younger sister. The scene involved the two of them kissing - something neither had done (as an adult) with a man before. What ensues is a slow, deliberately so, depiction of the complications that this kiss has on their relationship. "Matt" has a long term girlfriend, so his reconciliation with his "new" feelings for his friend take on a different guise from those of the single "Max" who has issues with his recovering addict mother. Sadly, though, too much of those repercussions are presumed on us by the director and not demonstrated to the audience. It doesn't need to be a cheesy traditional romance, nor a sex fest, but we are left to imagine or envisage that they want each other only because we know that's what the film is about - not because we are presented with much tangible, or even implied, sense of desire. Indeed the others in their group more readily flirt and banter than the two in the title. It doesn't have a beginning, middle and end - it just has a middle. A rather interestingly filmed and quite well put together middle, but a middle nonetheless. Certainly worth watching - I think Dolan has something about him - but I wanted more from the characters and the story - as it is I just felt like a rather unsatisfied observer.
Read full reviewbadelf
As much as I like the work of Xavier Dolan, this film was very disappointing. It was predictable, dull, and just not showing anything new or creative. I look forward to his next fantastic film.
Read full reviewkinrich30
What a colossal waste of time and film. First of all, this is not really a gay movie, it is over 2 hours long and there is less than 2 minutes of gay content. This is about a group of friends, of which the two main stars are poorly cast age-wise, who hang out. The two main guys seem to have an attraction to each other, but except for just a few seconds on screen, it's not acted on nor discussed. We do however get to sit through one guys business meetings that have nothing to do with the story at all and we get to see the other guy mopping his floor before he moves, sadly that was the most thought out plot line of the entire movie! Again, another 'gay' movie with female nudity and no male, they didn't even take their shirts off. No offense to women, but if I'm watching gay cinema, I don't want to see that, just as I'm sure if a woman was watching lesbian cinema she wouldn't want to see male nudity.
Read full reviewAudience Opinions
Audience 6.9/10
"A tender, visually rich queer romance powered by intimate performances but dragged down by a sparse plot and unhurried pacing."
Connection between the two leads, their evolving bond, and the nuanced handling of repressed feelings are what resonate most, with several viewers calling the film soulful, sincere, and emotionally honest. The warm, carefully composed imagery and music create a strong sense of atmosphere that lingers after it ends. At the same time, the story is seen as very simple for a nearly two-hour runtime, with extended hangout sequences, slow momentum, and an open ending that leave some feeling bored or underwhelmed.
What viewers praise
- Convincing lead performances Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas and Xavier Dolan are frequently praised for natural, understated acting that makes the central relationship feel believable.
- Strong on-screen chemistry The dynamic between Matthias and Maxime, especially around the kiss and its aftermath, is described as tender, charged, and emotionally engaging.
- Beautiful visual style Camerawork and framing, from intimate close-ups to gentle summer-evening scenes, are highlighted as visually striking and expressive.
- Evocative soundtrack Music choices are repeatedly singled out as perfectly matched to the mood and helping carry emotional beats.
- Sincere emotional tone The film’s focus on subtle inner conflict, youth, and self-discovery feels heartfelt and authentic rather than flashy or melodramatic.
Common complaints
- Slow, dragging pacing Long party and group scenes, along with a very gradual progression of the central relationship, make the film feel stretched and even boring for some.
- Thin, simple story Beyond the kiss and shifting feelings, the narrative is viewed as minimal and lacking in dramatic turns or development.
- Uneven focus on side characters Extended time with the friend group can feel like noisy filler that adds little depth to Matthias and Maxime themselves.
- Ambiguous resolution The open, understated ending is moving for some but leaves others frustrated and wishing for clearer closure.
- Not very original Several viewers see the themes and stylistic choices as familiar within the director’s work and queer romance dramas in general.
Recommended for
Queer romantic drama fans Xavier Dolan admirers Slow-burn relationship stories Intimate character-focused films Visually driven mood pieces
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsMatthias, Maxime & The Messy Behind-the-Scenes: The Real Tea on Xavier Dolan’s Softest Bromance
When Xavier Dolan makes a movie about two best friends whose whole world implodes over one kiss, you know the real-life drama is hiding in the margins. From Cannes controversies to Instagram-leaked deleted scenes, here’s the gossip dossier on Matthias & Maxime that your Letterboxd diary has been begging for.
On-Set Drama & Festival Fallout
“This film is not gay, it’s life” – and the internet lost it.
During the Cannes 2019 press tour, Dolan went on a mini-rant about how films like Matthias & Maxime are instantly labeled “gay films” while straight love stories are just… films. “We never talk about heterosexual films,” he said, pushing back on the label and insisting his story was about love and life, not a niche genre box 
. Some fans applauded the “stop othering queer cinema” stance; others dragged him on social media for sounding like he was distancing himself from the word gay while promoting a very obviously queer romance.
Queer Palm politics.
Despite the “don’t call it gay” soundbite, the movie still slid right into queer-anthem territory at Cannes. It screened in Competition and was in the conversation around the Queer Palm, the festival’s LGBTQ+ award, with coverage framing it as Dolan’s latest entry in his ongoing queer canon . If you ever wanted to see a director both reject and fully inhabit a label at the same time, this was it.
Dolan the perfectionist goes hardcore analog.
Instead of caving to digital convenience, Dolan insisted on shooting Matthias & Maxime entirely on 35mm Kodak film. Cinematography coverage notes he and DP André Turpin picked specific Kodak stocks to get that hazy, romantic blue-grey Montreal mood . Translation: the yearning looks expensive because they literally are.
Cast Feels & Fan-Shipped Romance
Xavier Dolan x Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas: the ship that launched a thousand Tumblr GIFs.
Viewers on queer media subreddits openly thirsted over Dolan as Maxime and gushed about the “heart-achingly gorgeous” way he and Gabriel D’Almeida Freitas look at each other 
. Fan posts and essays lean hard into reading their chemistry as too convincing to be just acting, with users dissecting every lingering glance.
But wait… canonically straight?
A film-focused blog describing Matthias notes him as “straight and [having] a supportive girlfriend,” lining up with how the character is written and played . Some fans leap from that into real-life speculation about Freitas’s orientation and private life, but there’s no confirmed scoop on his actual dating situation—just a lot of thirsty comments and Instagram-stalking.
Harris Dickinson’s stealth cameo glow-up.
Before he was all over prestige dramas, Harris Dickinson popped up here as Kevin McAfee, the bro-ish Toronto lawyer. Later coverage of his career points to Matthias & Maxime as proof he could carry leading-man charisma even in a tiny role, highlighting Dolan’s eye for casting him early . It’s not exactly a scandal—but for fans it’s a fun “oh my god that’s Harris?!” rewatch moment.
Leaks, Deleted Scenes & Fandom Frenzy
Xavier Dolan literally leaked his own movie on Instagram.
Loading Instagram post…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/B-fMrtlAmKu/
In April 2020, Dolan posted one of the film’s deleted scenes right to his Instagram Reels: a quiet, intimate bed conversation between Matthias and Maxime [8]. No studio drama, no hack—just the director casually dropping extra gay angst into everyone’s feed. The comments section turned into a live meltdown of “WHY WAS THIS CUT?” and “release the Dolan cut, coward.”
Blu-ray bonus chaos.
On Blu-ray forums, collectors confirmed that the disc includes about 8.5 minutes of deleted scenes plus a making-of featurette. The wild part? The packaging apparently claims the deleted scenes are “in French only,” but users discovered they actually do have English subs if you’ve selected them for the main feature [14]. Fans treated it like an accidental Easter egg, because apparently even the subtitles are closeted in this movie.
Reddit detectives on the ending.
A long-running thread on r/TrueFilm turns the ending into a full-blown conspiracy wall. Posters zoom in on body language, edits, and especially Maxime repeatedly pressing his palm to the cheek with the birthmark while drunk, interpreting it as emotional self-harm, shame, or longing . Some users speculate that cut footage once made the ending more explicitly romantic—maybe even an airport or post-reunion scene—before Dolan opted for ambiguity. That’s not confirmed anywhere, but the theory has basically become fandom canon.
Scandals, Comebacks & Queer Canon Drama
The ghost of John F. Donovan haunts everything.
Before Matthias & Maxime, Dolan’s English-language epic The Death & Life of John F. Donovan was such a mess that the original cut reportedly ran around four hours and included an entire Jessica Chastain storyline that got chopped in the edit . Critics widely labeled it a disaster. Coverage around Matthias & Maxime repeatedly frames the new film as his “return to form,” with Vanity Fair saying he’s “reclaimed his talent” here . In gossip-translation: Dolan needed a hit, and he used his own face and a queer slow-burn to get it.
“I’ve been a brat” – the self-drag.
In interviews around the film, Dolan admits he’s made movies with his heart and ego on full blast, describing himself as something of a brat and acknowledging the “critical conflict” he’d stirred up in previous years [2]. That self-awareness only fed the narrative that Matthias & Maxime was his more mature, healed, “I’m in therapy now” project.
Wild Trivia & Fan-Lore
The birthmark obsession.
Tumblr essays and GIF sets are obsessed with Maxime’s cheek birthmark—how Matthias touches it, stares at it, and how it ties to Maxime’s shame and visibility . Critics and bloggers read it as a visual stand-in for queerness, trauma, or the “mark” Max leaves on Matthias’s psyche. Fans now treat that tiny patch of skin like its own supporting character.
Call Me By Your Dolan.
On Reddit threads comparing queer films, users call Matthias & Maxime “CMBYN-inspired,” pointing out the shared themes of repressed desire, scenic melancholy, and a devastating final emotional gut-punch [9]. It’s not an official influence, but the fandom conversation has firmly slotted the movie into the same pantheon of “soft gay yearning that ruins your week.”
Dolan’s 35mm nostalgia pays off.
Articles about the film’s look emphasize how the 35mm choice gives Montreal a warm, grainy texture and turns even mundane party games into cinematic longing [4]. Fans on social media frequently credit that old-school film stock for why screenshots look like they’re pulled straight from somebody’s memory instead of a Netflix original.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
Movies
Similar Movies
Related titles ranked by rating and popularity.
Trainspotting
1996 Movie
The Terminal
2004 Movie
Dances with Wolves
1990 Movie
When Harry Met Sally...
1989 Movie
Dogville
2003 Movie
Four Weddings and a Funeral
1994 Movie
The Hours
2002 Movie
Finding Forrester
2000 Movie
My Own Private Idaho
1991 Movie
Stranger Than Paradise
1984 Movie
Transamerica
2005 Movie
D.E.B.S.
2005 Movie