Mother and Child (28/06/10) [Archive]

Mother and Child (2010)

Director - Rodrigo Garcia
Starring - Naomi Watts, Annette Benning and Kerry Washington

4 stars

Of the numerous movies that I have treated myself to seeing recently, it’d be fair to argue that Mother and Child is the best. Although it’s up against some pretty tough opposition (Get Him To The Greek, Animal Kingdom and Toy Story 3), and ‘best’ is a horrible word to use in a film review, I will stand by my initial opening.

With the school holidays among us and quite a number of blockbuster movies making there marks on the big screen, it is understandable for you to not have heard of this (slightly) hidden wonder. Still, you are reading this now so no more excuses! Get your ass down to the Rivoli and check it out!

It’s not uncommon for me to walk into a theatre and discover that the average age of the audience is far closer to that of Ben Price than myself and over the years I have learnt to not be concerned if this is the case. There’s no doubt that the entrance of Krofty and I into cinema four brought that average down substantially but it was still comfortably out of our favour.

In terms of the movie, it is by far one of the most moving pieces of cinema I have seen in a long time. So often you can leave a movie knowing you have been entertained, humoured or you’ve just plain and simply enjoyed the journey but Mother and Child certainly did touch me in a way that quality storytelling is supposed to. It amazes me that this was written and directed by a male (Rodrigo Garcia) because it seems to so accurately capture the relationships between mother and child and so poignantly illustrate the emotional connections and maternal instincts involved in the ride.

Put briefly, Mother and Child focuses on three different women’s lives and their experiences and situation with motherhood. Although these stories are slightly linked, they all hold their own purposes independently. It has quite a strong cast that involves Annette Benning’s character Karen wondering about her daughter who she put up for adoption directly after she gave birth to her at age 14. It is soon discovered that Karen’s daughter is Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) who is coming to grips with some news she discovers as a result of her unsettled life. Both the stories are shown almost in contrast to Lucy’s (Kerry Washington) situation as she elects to go down the road of adoption because she is unable to get pregnant.

It really is quite a discreetly raw film. On it’s surface it can appear to be a round about narrative about relationships but in it’s essence it contains core values and explores moral reasoning in a bluntness that is extremely welcome in the film world. Although it leaves you pondering about your own life and relationships, it in no way makes you question the harsh decisions sometimes made by the human race. Every hardship is quite well justified.

Both Watts and Benning play very insensitive and unlikeable characters. It’s always hard to truly identify with a film when you find it almost impossible to sympathise with the lead. This is where Washington steps in. Not only was her character a true illustration of a kind and passionate heart, but her performance was flawless. Without her (and her character), this movie would have crashed and burned. I’m not suggesting that it was her story that saved the day from doom and gloom because that is not the case. It is the way she captured the true human emotion and refreshing eagerness that you would expect from somebody in her position. It’s all well and good for the writer and director to create such a character, but her ability to pull it off deserves mass credit. She was truly wonderful, believable and kept this film ticking.

There’s not much more to say. I can’t begin to empathise with what some of these characters go through (due to gender restrictions, and me being a dude and all…) but Garcia’s attempts at conveying it on the screen ensure that I go very close to it. An extremely moving film, Mother and Child is definitely worth a look. No doubt some of you guys will hate it because it won’t appeal to you. I’m not even going to begin to deny that, but regardless, those of you who do feel like it might be your kind of flick - treat yourself. It can be a bit heavy at times, but that just comes with the territory. Like all movies, it can be quite temperamental and if you aren’t in the right mood for a touching drama, you are wasting your time.