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100Daring in its affirmation that a dowdy woman in her late 60s still can let go of her inhibitions and exhibit a lascivious side.
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Powerful, subtle, quietly terrifying film about the consequences of a widow's stab at a May-December romance.
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100The first exceptional drama of 2004, The Mother feels like life itself, sharpened to its finest points.
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100Every element of The Mother, directed by Roger Michell and written by Hanif Kureishi, fits together with perfection. The film's staging -- the way its settings create a world that allows for striking images that echo the psychological interplay of its people, the way in which every performance could not be any better -- is awe-inspiring.
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90Harsh, unsparing, unsentimental, and uniformly well-acted, The Mother bravely and intelligently tackles subject matter widely ignored in cinema--the sexuality of a plain-looking woman edging toward the twilight of a life of quiet desperation.
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90It's a remarkable film--one to gnaw at you and keep you up at night.
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88The Mother peers so fearlessly into the dark needs of human nature that you almost wish it would look away. It's very disturbing.
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88You feel terribly sad and angry at May's foolishness. Yet with so many emotions at hand, The Mother never fails to engage.