Somebody's Mother

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06/24/2020 Beautifully shot with an excellent script, this is a worthy story of parental love and a sibling relationship. The journey on the road to recovery is long and unflinching, which is exactly what you want in an indie drama. The fact that some of this movie is based on a true story makes it even more impactful. See more 05/28/2020 I felt especially attached to the story and the main two characters from the beginning. The acting and performances were honest and moving. It takes a kind of bravery to make a film that takes you on a journey through grief. The director's voice was confident, and her shots and shot choices forced me to go on an emotional ride I wasn't initially prepared for. This movie is definitely worth checking out. See more 05/24/2020 I really appreciated this film for it's raw and honest look at the difficult and dark aspects of motherhood. The contrast between two sisters and their very different experiences was fascinating and really made for a thought-provoking story. And I liked how the story was structured along the 5 stages of grief. The film is emotionally challenging, but ultimately is a triumph of motherhood, truth and life. See more 10/24/2019 There is nothing worse than the loss of a child. This film tackles the grief and aftermath of that experience with an intimate honesty. The dark moody visual elevate the storytelling and the performances from the two sisters are compelling viewing! See more 04/12/2019 Somebody's Mother is a powerful story about motherhood, grief, and the difficult road to recovery. The film follows two sisters, one whose baby dies tragically in the days after he is born, and another sister who is deemed unfit to care for her young child. Somebody's Mother really hit close to home for me. Our son was born a year ago, so I've become much more attuned to a lot of the really emotional and challenging issues explored in this film. During our pregnancy, we had friends who experienced miscarriages and another whose son died just days after he was born just like the child in the Somebody's Mother. The emotional toll it took on the parents was staggering and it was very authentically shown in Somebody's Mother. Several scenes in Somebody's Mother mirrored real life experiences that I had seen myself -- the inability for the grieving mother to handle a baby shower, families being divided, etc. Similarly, Anna's scene where she is being completely overwhelmed by her screaming child is very authentic as well. While Anna was pushed beyond her breaking point and made a dangerous decision, I think all parents would have to admit to the familiarity of these tantrums and how they've been pushed to the edge before and did not know how they could possibly handle parenting their child at that given moment. Somebody's Mother does an excellent job of telling a story that isn't really being told and that people are often uncomfortable talking about. The filmmakers and actresses did an excellent job exploring these very challenging real life issues that affect more people than we realize. It's vital that this sensitive story was handled with mature directing and honest acting, and the Somebody's Mother team deserves a lot of credit for doing that in this film. I think Somebody's Mother is an important film to see and I highly recommend it. See more 01/17/2019 Penned by Evelyne and Gabriela Tollman and subsequently directed by Gabriella Tollman, Somebody's Mother is a filmmaker's masterclass in its deep exploration of the human condition. It's also one that reminds us that elite indie films are every bit as capable of manifesting the tonal consistency, storytelling subtleties, and excellence in cinematography, editing, and color process that the best of their major studio counterparts can achieve. There isn't anything that isn't presented honestly and without aching vulnerability in this film about loss, grief, and guilt following the death of a child. And true to its subject matter, Gabriela Tollman conjures a deafening quietness in her spellbinding direction that remains unwavering throughout. The acting is wonderful, with the female lead demonstrating extreme nuance in pulling the vast weight of this story. Editing and cinematography are near-flawless in their thoughtful conception: The lighting deftly veers toward stage theater at times, providing a sense of isolation that almost leaves us feeling guilty for our voyeurism as we see the most inward-focused scenes play out in psychological seclusion. In a real world in which soul-baring is only now gaining true understanding as a necessary step in psychological self-repair, storytelling relating to the loss of a child remains one of the last taboos - perhaps too painful to articulate for most storytellers and too difficult for audiences. But only in the telling can the arts once again be called upon to lift these isolated subject matters to the light. Somebody's Mother is that exact kind of lighthouse film - one that through its sublime crafting, execution, and quiet leadership allows us to engage the very deepest of our sorrows in search of redemption. See more Read all reviews

Somebody's Mother

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