This movie was a complete surprise to me, I really wasn't sure what to expect when picking this film to view, but with it's all-star cast line-up it looked on the surface like it could be a winner and a winner it was. The storyline is detailed and compelling, 5 minutes into this movie you will be hooked. There are several different elements and segments in this movie that will draw the viewer into the story and make this life journey story a meaningful and appreciated view. For the record, if you read any of my reviews you'll find I do not get into what the movie or story line is about, what I try to relay to you the reader is my opinion of a movie and whether it is worth your time, effort, and money to view, in my humble opinion "Mother and child" is definitely a keeper.
76 Reviews
Perfect, it has to get an Oscar nomination!
tv_is_my_parent24 January 2011
This movie moved me. I'm a guy but this movie and the end just make me cry.
I decided to watch this movie, because of HBO's director Rodrigo Garcia. And i'm thankful i did. It is so emotional i just wish HBO would make a drama series like this.
Naomi Watts is one of the greatest actresses on earth i think. She is still amazing but to bad that Sandra Bullock wins an Oscar where Watts still waits for one.
I also realize Annette Benning is an outstanding actress. I first watched her in American Beauty.
The scenario is great, too. Garcia should make more movies that quality. If you like drama movies (especially if you're a mom) you should watch this. Please give this a nomination academy! 8.5/10
I decided to watch this movie, because of HBO's director Rodrigo Garcia. And i'm thankful i did. It is so emotional i just wish HBO would make a drama series like this.
Naomi Watts is one of the greatest actresses on earth i think. She is still amazing but to bad that Sandra Bullock wins an Oscar where Watts still waits for one.
I also realize Annette Benning is an outstanding actress. I first watched her in American Beauty.
The scenario is great, too. Garcia should make more movies that quality. If you like drama movies (especially if you're a mom) you should watch this. Please give this a nomination academy! 8.5/10
Adoption, redemption, love and lack of love--all the big stuff, well made
secondtake2 July 2015
Mother and Child (2009)
A drama filled with crosscurrents and heavy emotional stuff, yet told in such a normal and realistic way we come to believe it. And like it. Especially the acting, with Naomi Watts and Annette Bening leading two generations (and defining the title).
More than just exploring what a woman and her daughter (or her mother) need from one another (and give), this is about that first stage of becoming a mother—and deciding whether to keep the baby at all. So you see, it gets huge. And then comes the long term issue of adoption and finding, with luck, your adopted mother. The anger and released fears and the decades of doubts all flip and resolve, and this is all here.
What helps all along is the imperfect characters. In fact, Watts (as the conniving, independent daughter) and Bening (as the bitter, lonely mother) are really unlikable. At first. What keeps you going is the tenderness of two of the men, played by Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson, both with wonderful subtlety. While it never becomes "father and child" at all, these men really help nurture the mother and daughter relationships.
So who is this Columbian director and writer who pulled this together so well? He's had a mixed career writing and producing, and directing, including some "Six Feet Under" episodes and other spot jobs. He seems to lean toward interpersonal dramas, and has a knack for playing down sentiment while tuning into emotional impact (which is very different). It works.
Some people might find the plot too controlled, too contrived (almost but not quite to the point of predictability). Others might find the restraint all a bit too realistic, so that you kind of see too much real life and not enough theater. For me it walked a great line between all these poles. Good stuff!
A drama filled with crosscurrents and heavy emotional stuff, yet told in such a normal and realistic way we come to believe it. And like it. Especially the acting, with Naomi Watts and Annette Bening leading two generations (and defining the title).
More than just exploring what a woman and her daughter (or her mother) need from one another (and give), this is about that first stage of becoming a mother—and deciding whether to keep the baby at all. So you see, it gets huge. And then comes the long term issue of adoption and finding, with luck, your adopted mother. The anger and released fears and the decades of doubts all flip and resolve, and this is all here.
What helps all along is the imperfect characters. In fact, Watts (as the conniving, independent daughter) and Bening (as the bitter, lonely mother) are really unlikable. At first. What keeps you going is the tenderness of two of the men, played by Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson, both with wonderful subtlety. While it never becomes "father and child" at all, these men really help nurture the mother and daughter relationships.
So who is this Columbian director and writer who pulled this together so well? He's had a mixed career writing and producing, and directing, including some "Six Feet Under" episodes and other spot jobs. He seems to lean toward interpersonal dramas, and has a knack for playing down sentiment while tuning into emotional impact (which is very different). It works.
Some people might find the plot too controlled, too contrived (almost but not quite to the point of predictability). Others might find the restraint all a bit too realistic, so that you kind of see too much real life and not enough theater. For me it walked a great line between all these poles. Good stuff!
It's Time Spent Together That Counts
Chrysanthepop18 February 2011
Rodrigo Garcia's 'Mother and Child' is one of the most moving poetic films I have seen of recent times. Garcia's previous films comprised of short vignettes and, on the surface, 'Mother and Child' appears that way. Though the connection between Elizabeth's story and Karen's story is apparent, the other subplots initially appear as though they have no link to Karen and Elizabeth.
While there have been numerous movies of intertwined lives and stories, only few films have managed to have strong links and 'Mother and Child' is one of them and in addition the link between the stories is very significant and it's beautifully done. Moreover the twists and turns are superb. Rodrigo Garcia truly has created a treasure here. His eloquent writing breathes poetry as the story of his characters' lives unfold. Every single character, even the minor ones, are excellently fleshed out.
The execution is just as wonderful. The art direction, cinematography, editing and lighting is first rate. The soundtrack is simply amazing.
Each and every one of the actors does nothing short of fantastic and they deliver some of their finest performances. Annette Bening and Naomi Watts are spellbinding as the mother and daughter, two lost souls leading fractured lives until they gradually find purpose. Kerry Washington is superb as the wannabe mother desperate to have a child while being unaware of the challenges of motherhood. Jimmy Smits is terrific. Garcia's regulars, Elizabeth Peña, Elpidia Carillo and Amy Brenneman are very effective in brief roles and Cherry Jones is brilliant.
'Mother and Child' offers the viewer what they don't know they were looking for in a film. While it is no surprise how many gems are overlooked by people because of lack of recognition, it's a shame that this precious little film falls under this category. I couldn't recommend it more and it's become among my favourites.
While there have been numerous movies of intertwined lives and stories, only few films have managed to have strong links and 'Mother and Child' is one of them and in addition the link between the stories is very significant and it's beautifully done. Moreover the twists and turns are superb. Rodrigo Garcia truly has created a treasure here. His eloquent writing breathes poetry as the story of his characters' lives unfold. Every single character, even the minor ones, are excellently fleshed out.
The execution is just as wonderful. The art direction, cinematography, editing and lighting is first rate. The soundtrack is simply amazing.
Each and every one of the actors does nothing short of fantastic and they deliver some of their finest performances. Annette Bening and Naomi Watts are spellbinding as the mother and daughter, two lost souls leading fractured lives until they gradually find purpose. Kerry Washington is superb as the wannabe mother desperate to have a child while being unaware of the challenges of motherhood. Jimmy Smits is terrific. Garcia's regulars, Elizabeth Peña, Elpidia Carillo and Amy Brenneman are very effective in brief roles and Cherry Jones is brilliant.
'Mother and Child' offers the viewer what they don't know they were looking for in a film. While it is no surprise how many gems are overlooked by people because of lack of recognition, it's a shame that this precious little film falls under this category. I couldn't recommend it more and it's become among my favourites.
Motherhood
claudio_carvalho12 March 2012
In Los Angeles, the therapist Karen (Annette Bening) is a bitter woman that nurses her terminal mother Nora with the support of her maid Tracy (Carla Gallo) that has a little daughter. Karen misses her unknown daughter that she gave for adoption thirty-seven years ago when she was fourteen years old. Her new colleague Paco (Jimmy Smits), who is a widower, is a gentle man and courts the unpleasant Karen.
The bakery owner Lucy (Kerry Washington) wishes desperately to adopt a child since she can not have a baby but her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) is not supportive to the idea.
The efficient lawyer Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), who is Karen's daughter, is an independent and promiscuous woman that does not want to have a baby and has tubal ligation. When she joins the law firm of Paul (Samuel Jackson), she has a love affair with him and becomes his mistress.
When Nora passes away, she feels a great need to know Elizabeth. She marries Paco and his daughter Maria, who is a religious woman, convinces her to seek out Elizabeth. When Lucy meets the single mother Ray (Shareeka Epps), who is a demanding woman, Joseph leaves her since he does not want to raise a foster child. When Elizabeth finds that she is pregnant, she quits her job in Paul's firm and works as secretary in a small company. Their lives will be entwined in very dramatic situations.
"Mother and Child" is a powerful drama about different views and feelings about motherhood. The therapist Karen has never overcome the loss of her daughter for adoption. The infertile baker Lucy wants to be a mother and her desire costs her marriage. The lawyer Elizabeth is traumatized by her childhood and is an independent woman that does not want to have a baby and ironically gets pregnant. In the end, there is redemption with the second chance for Karen. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Destinos Ligados" ("Connected Destinies")
The bakery owner Lucy (Kerry Washington) wishes desperately to adopt a child since she can not have a baby but her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) is not supportive to the idea.
The efficient lawyer Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), who is Karen's daughter, is an independent and promiscuous woman that does not want to have a baby and has tubal ligation. When she joins the law firm of Paul (Samuel Jackson), she has a love affair with him and becomes his mistress.
When Nora passes away, she feels a great need to know Elizabeth. She marries Paco and his daughter Maria, who is a religious woman, convinces her to seek out Elizabeth. When Lucy meets the single mother Ray (Shareeka Epps), who is a demanding woman, Joseph leaves her since he does not want to raise a foster child. When Elizabeth finds that she is pregnant, she quits her job in Paul's firm and works as secretary in a small company. Their lives will be entwined in very dramatic situations.
"Mother and Child" is a powerful drama about different views and feelings about motherhood. The therapist Karen has never overcome the loss of her daughter for adoption. The infertile baker Lucy wants to be a mother and her desire costs her marriage. The lawyer Elizabeth is traumatized by her childhood and is an independent woman that does not want to have a baby and ironically gets pregnant. In the end, there is redemption with the second chance for Karen. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Destinos Ligados" ("Connected Destinies")
Garcia's Mothers
roastmary-130 April 2010
Rodrigo Garcia, the writer, director of "Mother And Child" is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez no less but his universe is solidly set on a reality that doesn't shy away from poetry. A poetry emerging from an open female heart. Wanting and longing for things we lost, for thing we let out of our lives. Annette Bening is superb. Superb! "She's 38 today" Annette tells her failing mother, talking about the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was merely 14. Naomi Watts is the long lost daughter and she is an updated version of the mother she never knew. Naomi Watts confirms, once more, her extraordinary range. The film works on every level and we live the changes the characters suffer with a palpitating heart of recognition. The entire cast is outstanding with Samuel L Jacksong giving a performance that is a revelation in itself. Gentle, strong, moving, powerful and funny. A film I highly recommend.
Sixty degrees of separation
Chris Knipp2 June 2010
Obviously orphanhood is a painful condition, as is lifelong separation from one's child. Adoption is a momentous undertaking, potentially beautiful for all concerned but fraught with risks of heartbreak. These are worthy but dangerous subjects for a movie; and despite good intentions and formidable actors, this one goes badly astray, though it's not without powerful moments. 'Mother and Child' is one of those manipulative stories about angst-ridden folks in LA whose lives turn out to be intertwined. It's not surprising to find it was produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu, though word from Cannes says his own latest film, 'Biutiful,' is straightforward and linear. Iñárritu himself directed the compellingly gritty and loosely connected multi-strand movie 'Amores Perros,' then veered into pretentious pseudo-complexity with more multiple-layered and polyglot storytelling in '21 Grams' and 'Babel.' The popularity among ambitious filmmakers of this genre can be partly traced to the success of the 2004 Paul Haggis film 'Crash ' (also set in a tormented and multi-ethnic, multi-racial Los Angeles), which won three Oscars, including Best Picture, pushing out the more worthy, but less successfully button-pushing 'Brokeback Mountain.'
'Mother and Child' has a fine cast headed by Naomi Watts (who was in '21 Grams', and so is a veteran of orchestrated anomie), Annette Benning, and Samuel L. Jackson, and includes strong performances by Cherry Jones as a kindly nun, Kerry Washington as an eager young women bent on adoption, and Jimmy Smits as one of several implausibly saintly people. These stand by at the right moments, patiently awaiting their opportunity to make everything right again, for the moment when all the chess pieces fall into the right pattern and the game is over.
It's hard to describe the movie in detail because its success as suspenseful entertainment hinges on the way its three or four main plots come together. If we knew ahead of time how and why the various narratives were going to mesh the film would seem flat and hopelessly manipulative -- which, in fact, it is, manipulative anyway. It's not so much flat as cloyingly sentimental and at the same time, in certain moments early on, decidedly creepy. What I can tell you is that a better title for the early stages of the movie might be Neurotic Women. One theme is estrangement, another, adoption. Motherhood seems alternatively a pathology, and a condition hopelessly longed for and never achieved. The character played by Annette Benning is cruel, abrupt, almost pathological. So is Naomi Watts, who is also coldly manipulative. Some of the things that Naomi Watts' character does early on seem downright evil. Annette Bennings' character is so hostile and unpredictable it's hard to imagine her holding down a steady job; but plausibility is not the long suit of a screenplay bent on moving its plots and characters in neat patterns. These two people played by Benning and Watts, who represent a lonely mother and a lost child, are meant to hold our attention, but in order to justify our respect or interest they have to undergo sudden changes the scenes can't justify.
Jackson is an attorney who heads his own very successful law firm. In his first scene he is made to hire Watts, whom he declares impressive. The only trouble is that her record also clearly shows she is unstable, uncommitted, and isolated. The head of a viable firm would think twice before hiring such a person. Then in the days that follow she rapidly seduces him. To analyze the details would not only give away the surprises, but is also embarrassing, because so much is fudged to make the pieces fit together; and besides unconvincing events, there are dropped stitches as time goes on. Things get more obvious and ham-handed when a blind girl appears on the roof of Watts' latest apartment building (she is constantly on the move) for the sole purpose of having Meaningful Conversations. And yet despite all the nonsense, some of the scenes are heartrending, especially one involving Kerry Washington. When Benning turns sweet and lovely, her scenes seem pasted in from another picture. It would have been nice to watch her again in the lightweight, but utterly charming 'Being Julia,' one of her recent triumphs. She is always fine, but she does manic better than depressive. All these fine actors deserved better material. They're good, but they can't make this movie plausible or hide the writer-director's heavy, obtrusive hand.
'Mother and Child' has a fine cast headed by Naomi Watts (who was in '21 Grams', and so is a veteran of orchestrated anomie), Annette Benning, and Samuel L. Jackson, and includes strong performances by Cherry Jones as a kindly nun, Kerry Washington as an eager young women bent on adoption, and Jimmy Smits as one of several implausibly saintly people. These stand by at the right moments, patiently awaiting their opportunity to make everything right again, for the moment when all the chess pieces fall into the right pattern and the game is over.
It's hard to describe the movie in detail because its success as suspenseful entertainment hinges on the way its three or four main plots come together. If we knew ahead of time how and why the various narratives were going to mesh the film would seem flat and hopelessly manipulative -- which, in fact, it is, manipulative anyway. It's not so much flat as cloyingly sentimental and at the same time, in certain moments early on, decidedly creepy. What I can tell you is that a better title for the early stages of the movie might be Neurotic Women. One theme is estrangement, another, adoption. Motherhood seems alternatively a pathology, and a condition hopelessly longed for and never achieved. The character played by Annette Benning is cruel, abrupt, almost pathological. So is Naomi Watts, who is also coldly manipulative. Some of the things that Naomi Watts' character does early on seem downright evil. Annette Bennings' character is so hostile and unpredictable it's hard to imagine her holding down a steady job; but plausibility is not the long suit of a screenplay bent on moving its plots and characters in neat patterns. These two people played by Benning and Watts, who represent a lonely mother and a lost child, are meant to hold our attention, but in order to justify our respect or interest they have to undergo sudden changes the scenes can't justify.
Jackson is an attorney who heads his own very successful law firm. In his first scene he is made to hire Watts, whom he declares impressive. The only trouble is that her record also clearly shows she is unstable, uncommitted, and isolated. The head of a viable firm would think twice before hiring such a person. Then in the days that follow she rapidly seduces him. To analyze the details would not only give away the surprises, but is also embarrassing, because so much is fudged to make the pieces fit together; and besides unconvincing events, there are dropped stitches as time goes on. Things get more obvious and ham-handed when a blind girl appears on the roof of Watts' latest apartment building (she is constantly on the move) for the sole purpose of having Meaningful Conversations. And yet despite all the nonsense, some of the scenes are heartrending, especially one involving Kerry Washington. When Benning turns sweet and lovely, her scenes seem pasted in from another picture. It would have been nice to watch her again in the lightweight, but utterly charming 'Being Julia,' one of her recent triumphs. She is always fine, but she does manic better than depressive. All these fine actors deserved better material. They're good, but they can't make this movie plausible or hide the writer-director's heavy, obtrusive hand.
Pitch Perfect & Sensitively Directed
Movie-Jay22 September 2009
Caught this one at TIFF, and it was one of the best movies of the festival. Rodrigo Garcia directed "Nine Lives", which may be familiar to some audiences. That one was from 2005 and wove together a series of short vignettes. Garcia has a wonderful sensibility at portraying female characters in that one, and in "Mother & Child" he builds upon it even further as the movie centers around the theme of adoption and how it affects three adult women, played by Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, and Kerri Washington.
I suppose this will get the "chick flick" label upon it's release, but for any lover of good dramas with characters you can sink your teeth into, that shouldn't matter, and besides, when did it become unfashionable for grown men to see movies with attractive female stars in them? There isn't a false moment or a scene that doesn't ring true, and I found myself so involved in the particularities of all the characters we meet that it no longer mattered to me what happened next, it was more interesting to get inside the shoes and take a walk inside the lives of these characters, so well fleshed out by all the stars here. So many big movies from America often feature adults behaving like children, and so it's ultimately refreshing and quite moving to follow the characters in "Mother & Child" who are going through very adult problems and acting like adults throughout, even if sometimes they fall or crack or are flawed.
I think Bening and Watts, playing two very complicated and difficult women, should be nominated for Oscars. This movie takes material that could have been dumbed down and made into a TV movie of the week, but instead Rodrigo Garcia elevates the film by really listening to his characters. A wonderful movie, not just for women, but for all adults who like good movies, and for all film-goers who especially like "hyperlink" movies, that is, movies that deal with a multitude of characters while letting each of them take the wheel of the car. Terrific.
I suppose this will get the "chick flick" label upon it's release, but for any lover of good dramas with characters you can sink your teeth into, that shouldn't matter, and besides, when did it become unfashionable for grown men to see movies with attractive female stars in them? There isn't a false moment or a scene that doesn't ring true, and I found myself so involved in the particularities of all the characters we meet that it no longer mattered to me what happened next, it was more interesting to get inside the shoes and take a walk inside the lives of these characters, so well fleshed out by all the stars here. So many big movies from America often feature adults behaving like children, and so it's ultimately refreshing and quite moving to follow the characters in "Mother & Child" who are going through very adult problems and acting like adults throughout, even if sometimes they fall or crack or are flawed.
I think Bening and Watts, playing two very complicated and difficult women, should be nominated for Oscars. This movie takes material that could have been dumbed down and made into a TV movie of the week, but instead Rodrigo Garcia elevates the film by really listening to his characters. A wonderful movie, not just for women, but for all adults who like good movies, and for all film-goers who especially like "hyperlink" movies, that is, movies that deal with a multitude of characters while letting each of them take the wheel of the car. Terrific.
The heart of the film is true rather than mawkish, soppy or sentimental
Likes_Ninjas9029 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
There are three separate stories running throughout Mother and Child. The first is Karen (Annette Bening), a physiotherapist who is struggling to look after her ageing mother. Karen is continually guilty-ridden about giving away her daughter when she gave birth to her at just fourteen. Karen is pursued by a fellow worker in Paco (Jimmy Smits), despite her regular coldness. The second story follows Karen's grownup child in Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) who is applying for a job at a law firm run by Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Elizabeth is a highly introverted woman, reluctant to be involved with anyone because of her abandonment and as such she has moved regularly from city to city. In spite of this, she begins a relationship of sorts with Paul, defined by casual sex. The final story is about a young couple in Lucy (Kerry Washington) and Joseph (David Ramsey) who are looking to adopt a baby of their own because they can't have children. They find themselves interrogated by a young teenage mother who has rejected numerous couples that have wanted to adopt her child when she gives birth. These stories are shown in an interspersing manner, gradually coming together though through chance and circumstance.
There must have been great faith in Rodrigo Garcia as a writer and a director because his film Mother and Child, a poignant picture about birth, has been backed by a number of significant Latin American filmmakers. Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu were all executive producers on the film, leaving the abilities of Garcia in rather high regard. The influence of Iñárritu is the most obvious throughout the film because like 21 Grams and Babel the narrative is told through a collection of separate stories that eventually unite, although in a more linear and deliberately cohesive manner. Interestingly, Mother and Child mirrors very similar thematic ideas to The Burning Plain which was written and directed by Iñárritu's former collaborator Guillermo Arriaga. That film also dealt with the guilt felt by a mother in giving away her child and the conflict between different generations. There are certainly some similar ideas explored here, but at length this film also reflects more on the way that some women cannot move forward or backwards to face the mistakes of their past. It should not be mistaken for a misogynistic view of women, just the inner conflict that could be faced by many. For almost two-thirds this is a great film because of its compelling nature to visualise powerful human relationships and fractured spirits, divided by loss and guilt. Yet in its final quarter the film feels entirely overlong and attempts to wrap up its separate threads together a little too neatly. Thus, out of the two films The Burning Plain would perhaps make for a more interesting second viewing given the way that it plays with time in a more creative pattern.
Although there are a number of major Hollywood stars featuring here, there is no shortage of belief in the sincerity of their performances. Naomi Watts is astonishingly good as Elizabeth as she expresses her inner feelings of suppression and her distance from the rest of the world, only occasionally releasing herself through her anger or a sexually impulsive act. It is her fleeting nature of moving from city to city which corresponds regularly with her attitude towards her relationships with men. It is a really powerful performance and if this were a film with a higher profile Watts would have a greater chance at being nominated for an Oscar. Samuel L. Jackson plays against type here but it works because he is a charismatic figure, as the head of a law firm would be, and it allows for some development in Elizabeth in that she would contemplate a relationship with someone she is slightly unsure of. The characterisation of Annette Bening's role has also been thoroughly detailed, but she is the most difficult person to access her because of her aggressive attitude, particularly to the daughter of her housekeeper. Yet this is still such a strong performance given that one can still recognise and feel for her emotions of guilt and anger, despite how dislikeable she can be throughout the film. Kerry Washington has perhaps the sweetest narrative arc and her role is a very sincere and emotive one as well. There are a lot of strong performances here and the way that some of the threads develop into tragic accounts give the film its power and an emotional resonance.
Mother and Child offers a wonderful ensemble cast throughout a relatively accomplished film. It is certainly overlong and the connection between the stories may seem slightly contrived to some. However, the strength of the performance here, particularly from Naomi Watts, ensures that the heart of the film is true rather than mawkish, soppy or sentimental. For this, the film is worth seeing and is further suggestive of the growing quality of talented Latin American filmmakers working today.
There must have been great faith in Rodrigo Garcia as a writer and a director because his film Mother and Child, a poignant picture about birth, has been backed by a number of significant Latin American filmmakers. Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu were all executive producers on the film, leaving the abilities of Garcia in rather high regard. The influence of Iñárritu is the most obvious throughout the film because like 21 Grams and Babel the narrative is told through a collection of separate stories that eventually unite, although in a more linear and deliberately cohesive manner. Interestingly, Mother and Child mirrors very similar thematic ideas to The Burning Plain which was written and directed by Iñárritu's former collaborator Guillermo Arriaga. That film also dealt with the guilt felt by a mother in giving away her child and the conflict between different generations. There are certainly some similar ideas explored here, but at length this film also reflects more on the way that some women cannot move forward or backwards to face the mistakes of their past. It should not be mistaken for a misogynistic view of women, just the inner conflict that could be faced by many. For almost two-thirds this is a great film because of its compelling nature to visualise powerful human relationships and fractured spirits, divided by loss and guilt. Yet in its final quarter the film feels entirely overlong and attempts to wrap up its separate threads together a little too neatly. Thus, out of the two films The Burning Plain would perhaps make for a more interesting second viewing given the way that it plays with time in a more creative pattern.
Although there are a number of major Hollywood stars featuring here, there is no shortage of belief in the sincerity of their performances. Naomi Watts is astonishingly good as Elizabeth as she expresses her inner feelings of suppression and her distance from the rest of the world, only occasionally releasing herself through her anger or a sexually impulsive act. It is her fleeting nature of moving from city to city which corresponds regularly with her attitude towards her relationships with men. It is a really powerful performance and if this were a film with a higher profile Watts would have a greater chance at being nominated for an Oscar. Samuel L. Jackson plays against type here but it works because he is a charismatic figure, as the head of a law firm would be, and it allows for some development in Elizabeth in that she would contemplate a relationship with someone she is slightly unsure of. The characterisation of Annette Bening's role has also been thoroughly detailed, but she is the most difficult person to access her because of her aggressive attitude, particularly to the daughter of her housekeeper. Yet this is still such a strong performance given that one can still recognise and feel for her emotions of guilt and anger, despite how dislikeable she can be throughout the film. Kerry Washington has perhaps the sweetest narrative arc and her role is a very sincere and emotive one as well. There are a lot of strong performances here and the way that some of the threads develop into tragic accounts give the film its power and an emotional resonance.
Mother and Child offers a wonderful ensemble cast throughout a relatively accomplished film. It is certainly overlong and the connection between the stories may seem slightly contrived to some. However, the strength of the performance here, particularly from Naomi Watts, ensures that the heart of the film is true rather than mawkish, soppy or sentimental. For this, the film is worth seeing and is further suggestive of the growing quality of talented Latin American filmmakers working today.
Oustanding drama and colorblind casting
raberbailey17 April 2010
Wow, where do I begin? Well, let me say that I went to the screening after hearing a friend rant and rave about how good it is. Being of the dude species I said to myself it's another chick-flick, but since homegirl couldn't stop talking about how good it was I decided to check it out anyway.
I'm thrilled to say that I am beyond happy that I did. This movie is the BOMB if you appreciate excellent acting, writing, directing and casting. I could go on and on but that's the bottom line.
Well, I do have one more thought. I just hope and pray that come Oscar time - because "Mother and Child" is being released now (Spring, 2010) - that it will somehow not be overlooked.
If you like excellent movie making of the drama variety, go see this film!
I'm thrilled to say that I am beyond happy that I did. This movie is the BOMB if you appreciate excellent acting, writing, directing and casting. I could go on and on but that's the bottom line.
Well, I do have one more thought. I just hope and pray that come Oscar time - because "Mother and Child" is being released now (Spring, 2010) - that it will somehow not be overlooked.
If you like excellent movie making of the drama variety, go see this film!
Babies had, babies lost, babies adopted, babies given away... Babies in my soup...
davidtraversa-15 June 2011
I have no particular criticism about the technical or artistic qualities of this movie or seeing it as an entertainment light enough to pass away a couple of hours just watching all these problems with having babies, adopting babies, caring for babies, bathing babies, dying to have babies... I just wonder... are women lives SO limited that the only way to fulfill their humdrum little lives is ONLY by having babies??? I'm sorry folks, I find that aim in life so limiting that I cannot believe an intelligent woman cannot find any other way to happiness and fulfillment in her life. I just can't. I refuse to believe it. For men is so easy, man takes pleasure and disappears if he so decides, but women..., women are stuck for ever with the consequences! What about ART, what about a fulfilling career, what about LIVING??? A woman that has a child is burdened with "it" for life! As the character in the movie that got the adopted baby girl (finally, because one more minute of her struggles and I would have stopped the projection!!!) realizes, when the child howls away for HOURS, that this is no rosy picture and heavenly perfumes... (she would gladly return the baby to whomever gave it to her in the first place). Well, all that said, I swear never again to watch movies with howling babies in it.
A top-notch and deeply moving film
mlmac14 October 2009
Mother and Child was the best movie I saw at the Toronto International Film Festival — and I saw 25.
Annette Bening is staggeringly brilliant in her role. She's a prickly and largely unappealing character, but the actress brings such humanity to the performance as a woman whose heart is slowly coming to life. Naomi Watts also brings nuance and humanity to a flawed and complex character. In a world where characters must always be "likeable," these performances feel like revelations.
Direction is consistently sensitive and intelligent. The script deftly moves between three worlds, with intersections that are surprising and never feel forced.
If Mother and Child doesn't garner wide distribution (and an Oscar nod for Ms. Bening) then this industry is deeply flawed.
Annette Bening is staggeringly brilliant in her role. She's a prickly and largely unappealing character, but the actress brings such humanity to the performance as a woman whose heart is slowly coming to life. Naomi Watts also brings nuance and humanity to a flawed and complex character. In a world where characters must always be "likeable," these performances feel like revelations.
Direction is consistently sensitive and intelligent. The script deftly moves between three worlds, with intersections that are surprising and never feel forced.
If Mother and Child doesn't garner wide distribution (and an Oscar nod for Ms. Bening) then this industry is deeply flawed.
A Nutshell Review: Mother and Child
DICK STEEL8 May 2010
It's the Mother's Day weekend which may account for the slew of films either being centered around motherhood, romance or women, but of all the offerings for this week, none is as tender a tale as writer-director Rodrigo Garcia's Mother and Child, which to one's surprise, an insightful film about woman condition, but a project with a man at the helm. In a way the film celebrates womanhood, but seen from another angle, it's pretty focused on negativity, the exploitation of sexuality, and indecisiveness.
Containing 3 main narrative threads, the presence of a man is almost a token, with David Ramsey playing a fellow colleague who romances Karen (Annette Bening) with great difficulty, David Morse playing Karen's old flame who was guilty of impregnating her when she's a minor, and whom Karen still holds a candle for, and the biggest mo-fo in cinematic history to date, Samuel L. Jackson as Paul the founder of a law firm, in what would possibly be his most docile role in recent years, yet for his character's age, still has in him a very potent output in which to penetrate tied-up fallopian tubes.
Writer-director Rodrigo Garcia's Mother and Child is an extremely poignant attempt that celebrates the inevitable motherly bonds that form between a mother and her child, and central to the story is the basic premise of Karen at 14 years giving up her child for adoption, and for years to date continue to feel guilt and constantly wondering whether her child is still alive, and if so just what she is doing. Therapy comes from writing letters in her diary to her child to keep herself sane, as her grumpy, caustic nature puts her off in people relationships, including that of her mother, which gives the title a different spin where Karen is perhaps the conduit.
Naomi Watt's Elizabeth is the open secret that the audience are told is that child Karen gave up as a baby when born, and has so far lived a life that's singular and responsible for only herself. An alpha-female who's a hotshot lawyer, she relocates back to LA and joins Paul's law firm, and slowly her wistful demeanour gets peeled back to show a domineering woman who doesn't hesitate to exploit her sexuality to pull strings, as well as having that mean streak in her through the seduction of her neighbour and the deliberate objective to just screw up their happy married life just because she couldn't stand her neighbour's inquisitive, chirpy wife. One would have thought that she would be intrinsically bitter about her beginnings and hence her surgical procedure, only for Fate to play a cruel game to have her become like her mother with the same options made available, and for the audience, to keep us guessing.
Kerry Washington's Lucy is a woman who cannot conceive, and through her storyline the callous nature of adoption is explored. It's not easy on either side trying to find suitable adoptive parents for one's child, and almost emotionally painful for one to give one's child up after 9 months of carrying the foetus, and on the other side having to deal with the doubts that inevitably creep into such a business like transaction, rather than one which involves nature. The character of Lucy also is someone who's not very likable as she's the classic case of always pushing the blame to someone else (and here her long-suffering, child- loving husband) and constantly teetering on the borders of a neurotic pessimistic whiner, and you're more than goaded to pass judgement on her, whether it is her just desserts in not being able to have children so that her evil genes don't get passed on to the next generation.
With all round fine performances by the actresses, Mother and Child has enough to keep you engaged as it plods along to poke and prod the many issues brought up in its narrative. It's easy to connect the dots as the film moves into the last act, but it's the cast's riveting delivery that keeps you glued to the screen. If you're up for some female centric story, and want to finish up that packet of tissues you have in your pocket, then this film will be your automatic choice.
Containing 3 main narrative threads, the presence of a man is almost a token, with David Ramsey playing a fellow colleague who romances Karen (Annette Bening) with great difficulty, David Morse playing Karen's old flame who was guilty of impregnating her when she's a minor, and whom Karen still holds a candle for, and the biggest mo-fo in cinematic history to date, Samuel L. Jackson as Paul the founder of a law firm, in what would possibly be his most docile role in recent years, yet for his character's age, still has in him a very potent output in which to penetrate tied-up fallopian tubes.
Writer-director Rodrigo Garcia's Mother and Child is an extremely poignant attempt that celebrates the inevitable motherly bonds that form between a mother and her child, and central to the story is the basic premise of Karen at 14 years giving up her child for adoption, and for years to date continue to feel guilt and constantly wondering whether her child is still alive, and if so just what she is doing. Therapy comes from writing letters in her diary to her child to keep herself sane, as her grumpy, caustic nature puts her off in people relationships, including that of her mother, which gives the title a different spin where Karen is perhaps the conduit.
Naomi Watt's Elizabeth is the open secret that the audience are told is that child Karen gave up as a baby when born, and has so far lived a life that's singular and responsible for only herself. An alpha-female who's a hotshot lawyer, she relocates back to LA and joins Paul's law firm, and slowly her wistful demeanour gets peeled back to show a domineering woman who doesn't hesitate to exploit her sexuality to pull strings, as well as having that mean streak in her through the seduction of her neighbour and the deliberate objective to just screw up their happy married life just because she couldn't stand her neighbour's inquisitive, chirpy wife. One would have thought that she would be intrinsically bitter about her beginnings and hence her surgical procedure, only for Fate to play a cruel game to have her become like her mother with the same options made available, and for the audience, to keep us guessing.
Kerry Washington's Lucy is a woman who cannot conceive, and through her storyline the callous nature of adoption is explored. It's not easy on either side trying to find suitable adoptive parents for one's child, and almost emotionally painful for one to give one's child up after 9 months of carrying the foetus, and on the other side having to deal with the doubts that inevitably creep into such a business like transaction, rather than one which involves nature. The character of Lucy also is someone who's not very likable as she's the classic case of always pushing the blame to someone else (and here her long-suffering, child- loving husband) and constantly teetering on the borders of a neurotic pessimistic whiner, and you're more than goaded to pass judgement on her, whether it is her just desserts in not being able to have children so that her evil genes don't get passed on to the next generation.
With all round fine performances by the actresses, Mother and Child has enough to keep you engaged as it plods along to poke and prod the many issues brought up in its narrative. It's easy to connect the dots as the film moves into the last act, but it's the cast's riveting delivery that keeps you glued to the screen. If you're up for some female centric story, and want to finish up that packet of tissues you have in your pocket, then this film will be your automatic choice.
Driving A Car Or Operating Heavy Machinery After Seeing This Film Could Be Hazadous!
Michael-7027 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The critical hosannas being hurled at this film are completely mystifying to me. I have not seen such a disingenuous conglomeration of bad ideas thrown together like ingredients for a hack melodrama get this much critical praise, since, I don't know, since A Beautiful Mind or Crash.
Maybe it's because I like all the actors so much. It was disappointing to see people with such distinctive screen presences as Samuel L Jackson, Naomi Watts and Shareeka Epps get used in a story that wouldn't have passed muster as a cheap Lifetime Channel movie.
Watching Annette Bening treating Jimmy Smits rudely or having Naomi Watts introduce Sam Jackson to her nosy neighbor as her father were scenes that should have sparkled, but here they were flat as yesterday's ginger ale.
Nothing rang true for me in this story from the desperation of the young black couple to adopt a baby, any baby, to the aggressive career girl lawyer to Annette Bening's Latina maid; this doesn't mean there are not people in these predicaments in real life, because there are. I just didn't believe them here.
A good example was Shareeka Epps, she was so great in Half-Nelson as the smart girl who saw through her drug addicted teachers faults to his positive qualities, but here as an obnoxious teen giving the third degree to hopeful parents who want to adopt a baby she is thinking of giving up, I mean this is a dumb idea for a character. It's a self-conscious and false attempt to add a layer to what is essentially a bland stock character, it's right out of screen writing 101 and just as predictable.
But it was the way all the characters spoke with the same type of ironic-hip diction of a bad cable TV series that was truly annoying. With my eyes closed, I could not tell who was talking to whom, they all had the same vocabulary whether they were a Catholic nun or a high priced lawyer. How realistic is that? It isn't, except in Bad TV Land!
I swear, this glacially paced movie put me into a mouth-breathing coma. A double shot of Starbucks espresso was not enough to pull me out of my torpor after I sleepwalked out of the theater into the warm night air. Seriously, I needed a defibrillator to zap me back to the living world when this film was over.
But what really ticked me off was that this film did not have the decency to just be bad and misguided, but it had to pretend to be about "SOMETHING" in capital letters, when it is really nothing more than an ordinary dull soap opera dressed up as a motion picture.
I kept thinking to myself, "Douglas Sirk would have known what to do with this script." What a shame he's no longer with us. Gosh this film was a waste of time.
Maybe it's because I like all the actors so much. It was disappointing to see people with such distinctive screen presences as Samuel L Jackson, Naomi Watts and Shareeka Epps get used in a story that wouldn't have passed muster as a cheap Lifetime Channel movie.
Watching Annette Bening treating Jimmy Smits rudely or having Naomi Watts introduce Sam Jackson to her nosy neighbor as her father were scenes that should have sparkled, but here they were flat as yesterday's ginger ale.
Nothing rang true for me in this story from the desperation of the young black couple to adopt a baby, any baby, to the aggressive career girl lawyer to Annette Bening's Latina maid; this doesn't mean there are not people in these predicaments in real life, because there are. I just didn't believe them here.
A good example was Shareeka Epps, she was so great in Half-Nelson as the smart girl who saw through her drug addicted teachers faults to his positive qualities, but here as an obnoxious teen giving the third degree to hopeful parents who want to adopt a baby she is thinking of giving up, I mean this is a dumb idea for a character. It's a self-conscious and false attempt to add a layer to what is essentially a bland stock character, it's right out of screen writing 101 and just as predictable.
But it was the way all the characters spoke with the same type of ironic-hip diction of a bad cable TV series that was truly annoying. With my eyes closed, I could not tell who was talking to whom, they all had the same vocabulary whether they were a Catholic nun or a high priced lawyer. How realistic is that? It isn't, except in Bad TV Land!
I swear, this glacially paced movie put me into a mouth-breathing coma. A double shot of Starbucks espresso was not enough to pull me out of my torpor after I sleepwalked out of the theater into the warm night air. Seriously, I needed a defibrillator to zap me back to the living world when this film was over.
But what really ticked me off was that this film did not have the decency to just be bad and misguided, but it had to pretend to be about "SOMETHING" in capital letters, when it is really nothing more than an ordinary dull soap opera dressed up as a motion picture.
I kept thinking to myself, "Douglas Sirk would have known what to do with this script." What a shame he's no longer with us. Gosh this film was a waste of time.
Hollywood doesn't necessarily have to be formulaic and predictable
harry_tk_yung7 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Looking initially like your typical women audience's movie, "Mother and child" can almost be described as innovative, albeit in a subtle and minimalism fashion.
With a prologue of a teenage (barely, at 14) pregnancy that seems a rather favourite plot line these days, this movie follows three separate stories, of which the ultimate convergence of two can be detected almost immediately, while the third continues to remain at a distance until almost close to the end. But then right from the beginning, there is a shared theme: unwanted pregnancy and one of its common solutions – offer for adoption.
In the first one, middle-aged Annette Bening is spinster Karen who is struggling with a strained relationship with her invalid mother Nora. This is compounded by the fact that the hired Latin domestic help Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo) seems to have taken over her place as the recipient of her mother's affection and trust. An added aggravation is that Sofia needs to bring to work her otherwise unattended little daughter, another rival for Nora's attention. At the work front (Karen is a physiotherapist), the arrival of a gentle, caring co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) stirs up in her emotional life ripples that at times turn stormy. As events unfold, the fact that Karen turns out to be the pregnant teenager in the prologue is of course not a surprise. I won't go into some of the key events in this plot line. Suffices to say that after some soul-searching and self-discovery, Karen goes to Sister Joanne (Cherry Jones, Molly Star in "Ocean's Twelve") who arranged the adoption over 30 years ago, seeking help to establish contact with a daughter that she has never seen.
Naomi Watts is a mid-thirtyish, successful lawyer Elizabeth, stunningly beautiful, ruthlessly aggressive, moving from job to job (and town to town) every few years, unattached, valuing her independence above all else. She prefers to report to a man as women bosses "find her threatening". The latest such male boss is Paul (Samuel L. Jackson), recently bereaved, with grown children but still dashingly attractive. As a plot line, development of sexual relationship between the two is almost mandatory. Although with this man, Elizabeth seems to find the closest thing to love she has ever experienced, she is not going to give up her independence and customary sexual freedom with men. Right from her very first scene, the interview with Paul, it is made clear to the audience that Elizabeth is the daughter that Karen gave up for adoption over thirty years ago. The key development here is Elizabeth getting pregnant, which she thinks is impossible as she had this attended to in a cross-border medical visit (she was then 17, a minor). The miracle of carry another life in her sets Elizabeth's mind on looking for her biological mother. Yes, again. Sister Joanne comes into the picture.
The third plot line develops around Lucy (Kerry Washington, best remember by many as Della Bea Robinson in "Ray") who is unable to give her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) a child. The couple decides on adoption and with the help of Sister Joanne (obviously) goes through a search that turns out to be tempestuously traumatic. As mentioned, the convergence of this third plot line with the others is not obvious and does not come about until close to the end, with a plot twist.
While the above might appear to be a reasonably comprehensive synopsis, there is a lot of details that I have omitted, details of importance both to plot development and to the understanding of the protagonists. Similarly omitted are relatively minor characters such as the doctor that initially diagnosed Elizabeth's pregnancy (Amy Brenneman whom you should remember if you have seen "The Jane Austen Book Club") or the Karen's teenager lover now met in a chance re-encounter (David Morse). There are just too many for me to mention all here. One very remarkable thing is that each one of this large ensemble of characters perform the roles with such attention and dedication as if it were a lead role. The wonderful result is plain to be seen. The three leads are simply superb, all Oscar-worthy.
With a prologue of a teenage (barely, at 14) pregnancy that seems a rather favourite plot line these days, this movie follows three separate stories, of which the ultimate convergence of two can be detected almost immediately, while the third continues to remain at a distance until almost close to the end. But then right from the beginning, there is a shared theme: unwanted pregnancy and one of its common solutions – offer for adoption.
In the first one, middle-aged Annette Bening is spinster Karen who is struggling with a strained relationship with her invalid mother Nora. This is compounded by the fact that the hired Latin domestic help Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo) seems to have taken over her place as the recipient of her mother's affection and trust. An added aggravation is that Sofia needs to bring to work her otherwise unattended little daughter, another rival for Nora's attention. At the work front (Karen is a physiotherapist), the arrival of a gentle, caring co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) stirs up in her emotional life ripples that at times turn stormy. As events unfold, the fact that Karen turns out to be the pregnant teenager in the prologue is of course not a surprise. I won't go into some of the key events in this plot line. Suffices to say that after some soul-searching and self-discovery, Karen goes to Sister Joanne (Cherry Jones, Molly Star in "Ocean's Twelve") who arranged the adoption over 30 years ago, seeking help to establish contact with a daughter that she has never seen.
Naomi Watts is a mid-thirtyish, successful lawyer Elizabeth, stunningly beautiful, ruthlessly aggressive, moving from job to job (and town to town) every few years, unattached, valuing her independence above all else. She prefers to report to a man as women bosses "find her threatening". The latest such male boss is Paul (Samuel L. Jackson), recently bereaved, with grown children but still dashingly attractive. As a plot line, development of sexual relationship between the two is almost mandatory. Although with this man, Elizabeth seems to find the closest thing to love she has ever experienced, she is not going to give up her independence and customary sexual freedom with men. Right from her very first scene, the interview with Paul, it is made clear to the audience that Elizabeth is the daughter that Karen gave up for adoption over thirty years ago. The key development here is Elizabeth getting pregnant, which she thinks is impossible as she had this attended to in a cross-border medical visit (she was then 17, a minor). The miracle of carry another life in her sets Elizabeth's mind on looking for her biological mother. Yes, again. Sister Joanne comes into the picture.
The third plot line develops around Lucy (Kerry Washington, best remember by many as Della Bea Robinson in "Ray") who is unable to give her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) a child. The couple decides on adoption and with the help of Sister Joanne (obviously) goes through a search that turns out to be tempestuously traumatic. As mentioned, the convergence of this third plot line with the others is not obvious and does not come about until close to the end, with a plot twist.
While the above might appear to be a reasonably comprehensive synopsis, there is a lot of details that I have omitted, details of importance both to plot development and to the understanding of the protagonists. Similarly omitted are relatively minor characters such as the doctor that initially diagnosed Elizabeth's pregnancy (Amy Brenneman whom you should remember if you have seen "The Jane Austen Book Club") or the Karen's teenager lover now met in a chance re-encounter (David Morse). There are just too many for me to mention all here. One very remarkable thing is that each one of this large ensemble of characters perform the roles with such attention and dedication as if it were a lead role. The wonderful result is plain to be seen. The three leads are simply superb, all Oscar-worthy.
This movie is worth a watch; an unexpected find
ravmeltt17 February 2013
I didn't know what to expect from this movie. I wanted something light, something emotional and dramatic, but not too sad. I got everything I wanted and more, including the sadness which I didn't want. But it was worth it. Benning's character came across as very harsh early on, but we later saw her morphed into a more likable character, which I felt transformed easily, because she was now in a more happier place in her life. She was made to give up her daughter when she was 14 and pregnant, and I believe that made her bitter initially in life. Naomi Watts' character was an adopted child who also seemed bitter, having never known her parents, and was on her own from 17. Kerry Washington was a married woman who couldn't have children, and therefore looking to adopt. How all these characters came together was worth the watch. It was beautifully done. Kerry was sublime in her acting skills, and you felt her anxiety, her pain and every emotion she portrayed. Benning as usual was wonderful, and Naomi was manipulative and often unlikable, which I believe she was meant to portray and therefore did it well. The role of the Sister in the agency was well played by Cherry Jones, and all the supporting actors, including Samuel Jackson and Jimmy Smits, brought a realness to each part. I don't want to give anything away, but the sadness in one of the scenes with Naomi really came as a surprise, as I was not expecting that. I felt like there was not enough closure, but then again the producer brought it all full circle to make you embrace the ending, after all, not everything in life ends with roses and a box of chocolates. Sometimes it ends with a lot of Kleenex. I think this is a movie worth watching, and embracing.
Smart, Wise Screenplay, Excellent Cast
padres0119 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***Alert: May allude to some scenes and themes that could contain what some might deem "spoilers."***
As someone else said: "Wow, where do I start?" ... I LOVED this movie. I was not familiar with the director's previous work, but he is definitely on my radar now. The cast was incredible. What a fantastic mix of people. I mean, come on, Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Peña, and Jimmy Smits. And those are just the "big" stars. The rest of the cast was equally outstanding. One standout performance was given by the beautiful Kerry Washington. So incredibly powerful.
But, what really blew me away about this film was the authenticity of the many themes about life, love, family, children, parenthood, hope, loss and redemption that the director wove together so brilliantly. The screenplay resonated with me on so many levels. The dialogue rang true on so many levels. I'm sorry to say I don't know her name, but the actress who portrayed Washington's mother was incredible, too. The monologue she delivered during the scene where her daughter is struggling with new motherhood is golden. She delivered her lines with the authenticity of a woman who has lived a full and rich life. Just dynamite. I can't say more. Loved her!
The funny story is that I had already watched this movie on cable alone, but re- ordered it through Netflix to see if my husband might be interested in watching it. I was worried he'd dismiss it as a "chick flick," (such a sexist term, BTW), but he became instantly absorbed in the story, and wound up loving it, too. He was haunted for days, remembering Watts' performance and the destiny of her character.
Someone here gave the film a low rating because she didn't like the characters. She found the women, particularly, unlovable, and without redemption. But that's just one of the many themes that makes this film so outstanding. People are not perfect. We fall in love with each other, despite our shortcomings, thankfully. I thought the script, performances and direction were all very subtle in conveying these complex and multitextured human realities.
Just beautiful.
As someone else said: "Wow, where do I start?" ... I LOVED this movie. I was not familiar with the director's previous work, but he is definitely on my radar now. The cast was incredible. What a fantastic mix of people. I mean, come on, Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Peña, and Jimmy Smits. And those are just the "big" stars. The rest of the cast was equally outstanding. One standout performance was given by the beautiful Kerry Washington. So incredibly powerful.
But, what really blew me away about this film was the authenticity of the many themes about life, love, family, children, parenthood, hope, loss and redemption that the director wove together so brilliantly. The screenplay resonated with me on so many levels. The dialogue rang true on so many levels. I'm sorry to say I don't know her name, but the actress who portrayed Washington's mother was incredible, too. The monologue she delivered during the scene where her daughter is struggling with new motherhood is golden. She delivered her lines with the authenticity of a woman who has lived a full and rich life. Just dynamite. I can't say more. Loved her!
The funny story is that I had already watched this movie on cable alone, but re- ordered it through Netflix to see if my husband might be interested in watching it. I was worried he'd dismiss it as a "chick flick," (such a sexist term, BTW), but he became instantly absorbed in the story, and wound up loving it, too. He was haunted for days, remembering Watts' performance and the destiny of her character.
Someone here gave the film a low rating because she didn't like the characters. She found the women, particularly, unlovable, and without redemption. But that's just one of the many themes that makes this film so outstanding. People are not perfect. We fall in love with each other, despite our shortcomings, thankfully. I thought the script, performances and direction were all very subtle in conveying these complex and multitextured human realities.
Just beautiful.
Plays out like a Sunday night movie of the week!
Hellmant12 January 2011
'MOTHER AND CHILD': Three Stars (Out of Five)
Rodrigo Garcia writes and directs this melodramatic adoption movie. It stars Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Shareeka Epps, Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits. The film debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and 2010 Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited release theatrical run. It was shot on a mere $7 million budget and has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics (although not glowing). Some talk award nominations for some of the acting like Bening and Watts but the movie as a whole isn't good enough and the acting will be overlooked as well (although it might be deserving).
The film revolves around three women each dealing with different aspects of adoption. There's Karen (Bening), a single bitter health care worker who gave up her child at age 14. She has an abusive attitude towards everyone including a new co-worker (Smitts) who could be a possible romantic interest. There's Elizabeth (Watts), a single lawyer who still has problems dealing with the fact that her birth mother gave her up for adoption. She's extremely confident and controlling and manipulates both her married neighbor (Marc Blucas) and her much older boss (Jackson) into sexual affairs. Things get complicated when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. Then there's Lucy (Washington), a happily married woman who can't have a child of her own and wants nothing more than to be a mother. She meets Ray (Epps), a young mother looking for the perfect couple to raise her child after giving it up at birth. She likes Lucy but certainly puts her through a test before agreeing to sign over her baby to her.
The movie sort of plays out like a network TV movie or mini-series but much better made. It does delve into a lot of melodrama and gets a little over the top at times but the acting is outstanding and it does have a nice theatrical touch that certainly lifts it above TV movie standards. Some argue that the film contains a discouraging anti-adoption message but I don't know if I believe that's entirely true (although I can see the case to be made for it). My biggest problem with the movie is that the lead characters are so unlikeable (mainly Karen, Elizabeth and Ray). Still the acting is nearly flawless and the characters are mostly believable despite their unlikeable characteristics. The film is far from perfect but it has moments and is far from bad as well.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YDpWRaEnYQ
Rodrigo Garcia writes and directs this melodramatic adoption movie. It stars Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Shareeka Epps, Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits. The film debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and 2010 Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited release theatrical run. It was shot on a mere $7 million budget and has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics (although not glowing). Some talk award nominations for some of the acting like Bening and Watts but the movie as a whole isn't good enough and the acting will be overlooked as well (although it might be deserving).
The film revolves around three women each dealing with different aspects of adoption. There's Karen (Bening), a single bitter health care worker who gave up her child at age 14. She has an abusive attitude towards everyone including a new co-worker (Smitts) who could be a possible romantic interest. There's Elizabeth (Watts), a single lawyer who still has problems dealing with the fact that her birth mother gave her up for adoption. She's extremely confident and controlling and manipulates both her married neighbor (Marc Blucas) and her much older boss (Jackson) into sexual affairs. Things get complicated when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. Then there's Lucy (Washington), a happily married woman who can't have a child of her own and wants nothing more than to be a mother. She meets Ray (Epps), a young mother looking for the perfect couple to raise her child after giving it up at birth. She likes Lucy but certainly puts her through a test before agreeing to sign over her baby to her.
The movie sort of plays out like a network TV movie or mini-series but much better made. It does delve into a lot of melodrama and gets a little over the top at times but the acting is outstanding and it does have a nice theatrical touch that certainly lifts it above TV movie standards. Some argue that the film contains a discouraging anti-adoption message but I don't know if I believe that's entirely true (although I can see the case to be made for it). My biggest problem with the movie is that the lead characters are so unlikeable (mainly Karen, Elizabeth and Ray). Still the acting is nearly flawless and the characters are mostly believable despite their unlikeable characteristics. The film is far from perfect but it has moments and is far from bad as well.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YDpWRaEnYQ
mother courage
lee_eisenberg9 June 2010
There have been a few movies about adoption, but probably none so profound as Rodrigo García's "Mother and Child". It depicts three separate stories, which despite their distinction share a link.
Karen (Annette Bening) is an embittered nurse who many years earlier gave up her daughter for adoption. The daughter (Naomi Watts) is now grown up and calling herself Elizabeth, working in a law firm headed by the upstanding Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Meanwhile, baker Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) are looking to adopt. The subplots are Karen's relationships with co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) and housekeeper Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo).
The film moves along at just the right pace so that each relationship can accurately develop, and the characters come across as individuals with whom one can truly sympathize. In particular, Karen, through observing Sofia and her daughter, comes to understand the kind of life that she could have had. This is truly one that I recommend.
Also starring David Morse, Tatyana Ali, Latanya Richardson and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks).
Karen (Annette Bening) is an embittered nurse who many years earlier gave up her daughter for adoption. The daughter (Naomi Watts) is now grown up and calling herself Elizabeth, working in a law firm headed by the upstanding Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). Meanwhile, baker Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) are looking to adopt. The subplots are Karen's relationships with co-worker Paco (Jimmy Smits) and housekeeper Sofia (Elpidia Carrillo).
The film moves along at just the right pace so that each relationship can accurately develop, and the characters come across as individuals with whom one can truly sympathize. In particular, Karen, through observing Sofia and her daughter, comes to understand the kind of life that she could have had. This is truly one that I recommend.
Also starring David Morse, Tatyana Ali, Latanya Richardson and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks).
nice little movie
abc_ca200228 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I like this movie,it is very straight forward,very tense and provocative. Naomi Watts and Annette Bening are great in this one.Sam Jackson so so. the story is very good.the directing is good. it is a very touchable story,teen pregnancy and baby adoption and all the complexity of this kind that follows. Annette Bening is mother of a child (Naomi Watts)she gave her up for adoption when she was a teenager. Naomi watts is trying to find her mother,she is very self destructive and Annette Bening is confused she feels guilty and she is lost.she gets into a relationship with hesitance she tries hard to forget all this but it is not easy.I don't go further to spoil it all. I'm sure you'll like it especially if you have teenagers in your house.
Superb new offering from Rodrigo Garcia
rbm1315 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere of "Mother and Child" at the Toronto International Film Festival last night. This film is outstanding in every way, and proves once again (after "Nine Lives" and "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her") that Rodrigo Garcia is a master of the complex story about intersecting lives and relationships. This story is about three women: Karen (Annette Bening), Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), the daughter whom she gave up for adoption, and Lucy (Kerry Washington), a woman wanting to adopt a child of her own. The film weaves a tapestry of truths about the sometimes heartbreaking nature of mother-child relationships, and about the almost unshakable power of that bond. It has many poignant moments and is garnished with subtle humour. There is not a single false moment in the film. The cast is outstanding, without exception, but Bening, Watts, and Washington each deliver Oscar-worthy performances, and Garcia deserves the highest recognition as both screenwriter and director. Bravo!
Superb acting
phd_travel8 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
There is some excellent acting and very realistic dialog from this interesting and involving movie about mothers and daughters and adoption. The dividing lines between race and blood ties are explored here. This is an intense and human drama.
Annette Benning delivers a great performance. She really got a bitter caustic expression perfectly. It is interesting to see the lovely Naomi Watts playing a damaged character.
After all the depressing things earlier I wish Naomi's character had lived and there could have been a reunion between mother and daughter.
Overall worth a watch for the great performances but feels a bit sad.
Annette Benning delivers a great performance. She really got a bitter caustic expression perfectly. It is interesting to see the lovely Naomi Watts playing a damaged character.
After all the depressing things earlier I wish Naomi's character had lived and there could have been a reunion between mother and daughter.
Overall worth a watch for the great performances but feels a bit sad.
A truly beautiful art film
diane-345 July 2010
Diane and I just saw this film in Fremantle and we were both totally absorbed by the strength, truth and integrity of it. The IMDb comments from viewers have noted the extraordinarily rich acting by all the people in this project; it is as if they were working at a higher level because they felt the power of the script and wanted to give the film the very best performance they could muster. It was similar to hearing our local chamber orchestra that seemed, at least to Diane and me, to rise above their normal excellent work and give tremendous support to a recognized Swiss violinist in concert with him. Other commentators have mentioned academy award strength in these performances and I can certainly accede to these opinions.
We were impressed by the script which assumed that the audience could follow the pastiche lives of the four women involved in these all too real life situations. We thought that the writer who also directed this beautiful film understood and dealt sympathetically with the jigsaw of their lives as those lives unfolded. Don't read too carefully about the plot; I would suggest that you just take a seat and become absorbed in this tremendously sympathetic view of all that transpires on the screen. It is a gem not to be missed.
We were impressed by the script which assumed that the audience could follow the pastiche lives of the four women involved in these all too real life situations. We thought that the writer who also directed this beautiful film understood and dealt sympathetically with the jigsaw of their lives as those lives unfolded. Don't read too carefully about the plot; I would suggest that you just take a seat and become absorbed in this tremendously sympathetic view of all that transpires on the screen. It is a gem not to be missed.
Excellent movie about the love of adoption.
kesler0323 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The movie, Mother & Child, is about three women, Lucy, Elizabeth, and Karen, who's stories have to do with being a mother in some way. The film follows the three women and their challenges with adoption and pregnancy. Karen is played by Annette Bening. Karen is a 50- year old who is struggling over giving up her child at the age of 14. She seems to be full of hate and struggles accepting people into her life. Elizabeth is the daughter Karen, whom she gave up at 14, and has never met. Elizabeth is played by Naomi Watts. She is a persistent, controlling, carefree lawyer who just wants to do her own thing. She has a sexual relationship with her boss where she gets pregnant. While giving birth she dies, and her child is left for adoption. Lucy is played by Kerry Washington. She and her husband have been trying for a baby for four years when they decide on adoption. When her husband backs out and leaves her, she decides to continue with the adoption. This scene is very similar to the movie Juno (Reitman, J.) . Where the father is not ready to adopt but the mother is. Lucy still wants to adopt but is heartbroken when the mother backs out. A new baby girl comes up and Lucy adopts her, the baby that Elizabeth has left behind. Karen finds peace in the end with her husband, but becoming a grandmother-figure to Lucy's child, her biological granddaughter.
The theme of the film is about a mother's love. The quote used at the end of the movie and the beginning is, "it's the time spent together that counts, not blood" (Garcia, R.). This is true to the film because in the end, all three women dealt with the adoption process and loving a child that is not there, or giving up a child that is their own and still loving it. Lucy struggled when she adopted her new baby. She said that she cannot love her because she is not hers. She felt that someone just handed her a baby and she was not connected. When Lucy's mother stepped in to help her, she told her to step up because she is that child's mother. Lucy learned to love the child as if it were her own. Karen struggled her whole life with giving her child up for adoption; she felt that the world hated her for giving up her baby. She wrote to her daughter every day, and dreamed about her every night. Once she came to terms that what she did nearly 40 years ago was right for her baby, she began to feel love again. We saw her grow as a person.
The angle of the camera was excellent. I felt that each shop captured the emotions the characters where feeling. The camera was not just capturing the scene but the expressions and the way the characters felt. There were not significant lighting effects I noticed except for a few. When Karen sleeps with her ex-boyfriend, whom she had the child with; the lighting and scene became blurry; almost as signifying that she should forget the past because it is all a blur from years ago. The producers did an excellent job at connecting the story lines together and becoming one. Although it started out as three separate women struggling separate lives, in the end they were all connected by the love of adoption and being a mother.
References Boggs, J. & Petrie, J. (2008). The art of watching films. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Garcia, R. (Director). (2009). Mother and Child (Motion Picture). Reitman, J. (Director). (2007). Juno (Motion Picture).
The theme of the film is about a mother's love. The quote used at the end of the movie and the beginning is, "it's the time spent together that counts, not blood" (Garcia, R.). This is true to the film because in the end, all three women dealt with the adoption process and loving a child that is not there, or giving up a child that is their own and still loving it. Lucy struggled when she adopted her new baby. She said that she cannot love her because she is not hers. She felt that someone just handed her a baby and she was not connected. When Lucy's mother stepped in to help her, she told her to step up because she is that child's mother. Lucy learned to love the child as if it were her own. Karen struggled her whole life with giving her child up for adoption; she felt that the world hated her for giving up her baby. She wrote to her daughter every day, and dreamed about her every night. Once she came to terms that what she did nearly 40 years ago was right for her baby, she began to feel love again. We saw her grow as a person.
The angle of the camera was excellent. I felt that each shop captured the emotions the characters where feeling. The camera was not just capturing the scene but the expressions and the way the characters felt. There were not significant lighting effects I noticed except for a few. When Karen sleeps with her ex-boyfriend, whom she had the child with; the lighting and scene became blurry; almost as signifying that she should forget the past because it is all a blur from years ago. The producers did an excellent job at connecting the story lines together and becoming one. Although it started out as three separate women struggling separate lives, in the end they were all connected by the love of adoption and being a mother.
References Boggs, J. & Petrie, J. (2008). The art of watching films. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Garcia, R. (Director). (2009). Mother and Child (Motion Picture). Reitman, J. (Director). (2007). Juno (Motion Picture).
No
ajrg-17-3816392 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I thought at the outset this was going to be a good movie. As a mother with two children of my own, one child from India and an open adoption of three children from Mexico I found this movie contrived and unbelievable so they lost me early on. I thought the men who loved these unpleasant women were a bit hard to swallow, the pleasant husband who suddenly wanted his own kid was equally unbelievable. Not that men could not like difficult woman but there really has to be something that compensates for this, which renders the woman appealing in some way, if only in that they desire S& M. Men who like their wives who have good wives and no personality themselves do not leave them because they are wanting a child of their own, suddenly developing a back bone.
The movie turned into a life time channel movie and in the end I just did not care.
Women do not die in childbirth, their kids do not live down the street from Grandma who has suddenly become nice, hysterical mothers do not become good mothers. One or two conceits are OK but short of some good performances don't waste your time. I don't know how the writer managed to get his script through without editing.
The movie turned into a life time channel movie and in the end I just did not care.
Women do not die in childbirth, their kids do not live down the street from Grandma who has suddenly become nice, hysterical mothers do not become good mothers. One or two conceits are OK but short of some good performances don't waste your time. I don't know how the writer managed to get his script through without editing.
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