Emotionally Charged Cinematic Journeys to Share with Mom This Mother’s Day

The last thing anyone in this world can say is that being a mom is an easy gig. While there are a smorgasbord of different jobs out there, each coming complete with their own set of unique complexities and challenges, any seasoned mother can without hesitation testify to the fact that taking on maternal duties entails much more than just changing diapers and packing school lunches.

It’s no secret that being a mom rarely plays out the way people expect and sometimes being the matriarch of the family comes with a hefty price. When it comes down to it, there really is no denying that the journey taken as mother and the unbreakable bond forged with her children will ultimately require an abundance of emotional strength and resilience, which is why in the spirit of Mother’s Day, people should sit back and enjoy some of the many feature films available that find fascinating ways to showcase the heart wrenching hardships that come with walking the path of motherhood.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri

The 2017 crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri, was not only a box office success, taking in $160 million at the worldwide box office off of a budget somewhat in the vicinity of $15 million, but it was also a critically acclaimed motion picture that took home a number of awards and accolades from the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Oscars, including wins recognizing the performances of some of its main players including lead France McDormand and supporting cast member Sam Rockwell. The rest of the cast is also nothing short of impressive, consisting of notable names like Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, John Hawkes, and Peter Dinklage.

The Certified Fresh feature on Rotten Tomatoes follows McDormand’s character Mildred, a mother who, fed up with the police’s inability to bring the individual that raped and murdered her daughter to justice, confronts the police with three billboards that puts their failure on display for everyone to see, which causes quiet a stir with surrounding the community. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Filled with an assortment of flawed yet engaging characters and a brilliant score from Carter Burwell, the film is not only an intricate exploration of grief, justice, and redemption, but also as a beautifully crafted reminder that a mother’s love for a child doesn’t expire when they die, it only grows stronger, making it ideal to watch with mom on Mother’s day.

Four Good Days

Four Good Days is a 2020 drama based on Pulitzer Prize winning writer Eli Saslow’s 2016 Washington Post Article titled How’s Amanda? A Story of Truth, Lies, and an American Addiction and is inspired by the real life story of Libby Alexander and her daughter Amanda Wendler’s rocky road to recovery from addiction. Leading the way in the Rodrigo Garcia-directed feature are Academy Award winner Glenn Close and Golden Globe nominee Mila Kunis, who star as Deb (based on Libby) and Molly (based on Amanda). After making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie earned a Best Original Score nomination at the Oscars for the single “Somehow You Do,” written by Diane Warren and performed by Reba McEntire.

The narrative follows Molly’s attempt to finally kick her nasty drug habit with another trip to Detox. This time around she is offered an opioid agent, a monthly shot which will help significantly when it comes to maintaining her sobriety. But in order for it to be effective as well as safe she must be completely drug free for four days. Her mother Deb, while a bit skeptical of her daughter’s intentions, struggles to help her turn her life around. The story offers a Raw and honest portrayal of how substance abuse can tear a family apart and how putting it back together is an uphill battle that for some, may never end. Four Good Days goes out of its way to brilliantly showcase the challenges of recovery, struggles of helping someone with addiction, and the unflinching strength of the maternal bond a mother shares with their child, even if they have done everything to push her away, making it a solid Mother’s Day motion picture choice.

The Lost Daughter

The 2021 psychological drama The Lost Daughter is based on Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novella of the same name and served as the directorial debut for actress Maggie Gyllenhall. The film had its debut at the Venice International Film Festival and went on to not only receive an abundance of critical acclaim, resulting in very high scores on Rotten Tomatoes, but also a slew of accolades, including three Oscar nominations. The cast features an all-star lineup with excellent performances from Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessy Buckley.

Colman plays a woman named Leda who reflects back on her time as a mom and the troubling choices she made with her own kids after encountering an overwhelmed mother and her daughter while on vacation. The engrossing narrative offers an intriguing perspective on the harsh realities that come with being a mom that isn’t usually addressed in movies. It also takes a hard look at the long-term consequences of one’s actions in regards to raising kids. While the exceptional performances, impeccable direction, and carefully crafted script make The Lost Daughter a worthy choice for movie night, its eye-opening and, more importantly, thought-provoking message make the Certified Fresh feature a more than appropriate Mother's Day viewing experience.

Ben is Back

Julia Roberts has played many different matriarchs over the course of her career in an assortment of exciting titles like Erin Brokovich, Stepmom, Leave the World Behind, and Mother’s Day. But out of all her impressive credits regarding mom-related media, a standout choice has got to be the 2018 drama Ben is Back. Peter Hedges who sat in the directors chair for films like Pieces of April and penned the screenplay for notable films such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape serves as the writer-director for the feature that had its world premier at the Toronto International Film Festival. Starring alongside Roberts is Lucas Hedges with other notable talent on the roster including Katherine Newton and Courtney B. Vance.

Roberts plays a woman named Holly whose son Ben, played by Hedges, shows up on Christmas Eve when he is supposed to be at rehab for substance abuse issues. While she is overjoyed to see that his treatment is progressing positively, not everyone is excited to have him back again. But she agrees to let him stay for 24 hours, as long as he doesn’t leave her sight. The narrative follows the events that unfold in the allotted window for Ben to be back, where Holly’s love for her son is put to the test over and over again, and despite giving her every reason to give up on him, she showcases an extraordinary amount of resilience and compassion for her first born. Ben is Back is a masterful exploration of how when the odds are incredibly stacked in favor of failure and tragedy, a mother’s bond will somehow no matter what remains unbreakable, verifying its status as a clutch movie to watch on Mother’s Day.

When You Finish Saving the World

When You Finish Saving the World served as the directorial debut of Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg, who also penned the screenplay. After beginning its run at the Sundance Film Festival, the A24 feature received favorable reviews from respected outlets like Time Magazine, the New Yorker, and the Associated Press. While there are certainly a number of talented individuals in the cast, the standouts are arguably the movie’s two stellar leads, one of whom happens to be Finn Wolfhard, a powerful player in the Stranger Things and Ghostbusters franchises. But he isn’t the only powerhouse in the mix because this particular title just happens to be yet another impressive credit on the resume of the one and only Academy Award Winner Julianne Moore.

The story centers on the complicated mother-son relationship between Evelyn (Played by Moore) and her son Ziggy, who, unable to connect as they’ve grown apart over the years, seek to find replacements for one another as they struggle to coexist while living under the same roof. The emotionally insightful exploration of a complicated mother-child dynamic offers an easy-to-absorb, grounded, and overall intriguing look at the complexities of the generational divide parents and kids go through. It also puts a fascinating focus on the difficulties and importance of communication within the family dynamic, especially on how it's more than just starting a conversation; the real challenge is finding the ability to truly connect, no matter how much a person or a loved one seemingly changes. When people are done watching When You Finish Saving the World, there will be no denying that it was an excellent choice for Mother’s Day.

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