Mother and Child (Drama)

‘Mother and Child’ is film about adoption, and it follows the separate lives of three women each with adoption at the centre of their stories. Firstly, there is Karen (played by Annette Bening) who has a complicated relationship with her own mother and is consumed by guilt over the daughter she gave up for adoption 37 years ago. Secondly, there is beautiful, successful, and fiercely independent Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) who plays the 37 year old daughter Karen gave up for adoption and who, up until now, has shown no interest in tracking down her birth mother. And thirdly, there is Lucy, an African American woman who is married but can’t bear any children so she and her husband decide to look into adoption as an alternative. Eventually, the stories of these three women intertwine in an unpredictable and un-Hollywood kind of way.

If like me - adoption is not a storyline that you feel you can immediately relate to – there are still plenty of reasons to see this film. ‘Mother and Child’ is also a film simply about mother-child relationships which almost all of us can relate to. In particular, ‘Mother and Child’ examines mother-daughter relationships, and the complicated and overwhelming connection that seems to bring all manner of comforts and discomforts to both mother and daughter over a lifetime.

The performances are all amazing and almost every actor pulls off their emotionally mixed up characters very convincingly. Particularly Naomi Watts whose character is so chilling during most of the movie she gives you goosebumps! The performances of the support actors are also compelling, including Jimmy Smits as Paco who plays a work colleague of Karen’s; Samuel L Jackson as Elizabeth’s new boss Paul; and Kerry Washington as Lucy. The only slight drawback is Annette Bening’s performance, which I still found very convincing but the transformation that her character undergoes from the first half to the second half of the film is a bit too extreme, and consequently feels a little far-fetched.

Seeing ‘Mother and Child’ was one of those rare but rewarding movie-going experiences I have where the stories and their characters stay with me for days afterwards. But the film is not without its minor blemishes, such as the almost too dramatic switch in Annette Bening’s character part way through the film that I referred to earlier, along with a couple of slightly cheesy messages every now and then, for example that the love of a good man can fix everything (that’s a bit retro isn’t it?!). But there are plenty of new, intelligent, and not so cheesy messages to get you thinking. It does leave you wondering about missed opportunities; about the fact that for some decisions in life the only time to act is now; and about how people always seem to be happier if they can manage to soften up a little.

I really loved this film, and found it haunting and moving even though the central theme was not one that was particularly pertinent for me which I think is one of the signs of a great flick. I highly recommend ‘Mother and Child’, although it’s probably not a great pick for a hot date, and may not be the best film to catch with your mum if you’re working through any serious “issues”!

• Director and writer Rodrigo Marquez is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Naomi Watts only spent 8 days filming her role
• Annette Bening is actually only 10 years older than Naomi Watts, despite playing her mum in this film.