Reviewed by Kim Choe
Mother and Child is a delicate film that explores the meaning of motherhood and the many faces of adoption.
Karen (Annette Benning) has lived all of her adult life haunted by the memory of the daughter she gave up for adoption after giving birth to her at the age of 14. After her own mother’s death, she becomes more and more consumed by the grief and emptiness of never having known her child.
Unbeknownst to Karen, her daughter is called Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), and she has also been profoundly affected by her adoption. Elizabeth is a successful, headstrong, and independent corporate lawyer – and is just as mistrusting of men as her biological mother. But while Karen pushes them away, Elizabeth takes advantage of them, a habit that causes her complications of her own.
The rest of the film winds around these two characters with the same kind of understated drama seen in writer-director Rodrigo García’s excellent television series In Treatment. His love of unashamedly flawed characters and awkward encounters are evident in this film too, much to its benefit.
I enjoyed the film’s steady pace – until it accelerated somewhat unexpectedly towards the end, and I was left wondering whether I missed a vital clue leading up to the dramatic twist. But overall it’s well put together, masterfully acted, and a great watch.
Four stars.
Mother and Child
:: Director: Rodrigo García
:: Starring: Annette Benning, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson
:: Running Time: 126 mins
:: Rating: M – sex scenes, offensive language
:: Release Date: September 16, 2010
