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For this Mother’s Day, a lot of us wish we could be watching a movie with our moms. As we celebrate from afar, here are some suggestions for movies to watch at home — each of which has a remarkable mother or grandmother at its center. Happy Mother’s Day, to all the moms.
“20th Century Women” (2017): Annette Bening, whose ever-thoughtful presence makes any film a joy, here plays Dorothea, a divorced woman living in late-1970s Santa Barbara with her teenage son and a ragtag assortment of boarders and neighbors; she’s the watchful mother of them all.
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (2017): Barry Jenkins’ gorgeous drama, based on the classic James Baldwin novel, focuses mostly on the love story between two young people, Tish and Fonny (KiKi Layne, Stephan James), separated when Fonny is falsely accused and imprisoned. But watch it for the blaze of maternal fire that is Tish’s mother, Sharon (Regina King), who envelopes her daughter in safety and hope.
“The Farewell” (2019): The story of a young Brooklyn artist (Awkwafina, in a heartbreakingly quiet performance) who travels to China to see her ailing grandmother (Zhao Shuzhen) for possibly the last time, Lulu Wang’s film is both wrenching drama and delightful comedy.
“The Hours” (2002): The stories of three women, in three time periods, elegantly interweave in this adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s luminous book about motherhood, creativity and, quite simply, what it means to be alive.
“Lady Bird” (2017): Much of the pleasure of Greta Gerwig’s luminous coming-of-age tale is in watching the relationship between California teenager Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf) — each teems with simultaneous love for, and irritation at, the other.
“The Namesake” (2007): Based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, this film, about two generations of a Bengali American clan, has the parents first arriving in New York from Calcutta as newlyweds and near-strangers. Ashima, the mother (played by the actress Tabu), undergoes a gradual, moving transformation; falling in love with her husband (Irrfan Khan), and creating over the years a warm home.
“Philomena” (2013): An enchanting mixture of road movie, odd-couple comedy and heart-touching story, this film stars the brilliant Judi Dench as the title character, an Irishwoman who sets her mind to finding the child she was forced to give up for adoption 50 years earlier. A trip to America, with a skeptical journalist (Steve Coogan), ensues.
“Ricki and the Flash” (2015): It’s always a treat to see a real-life mother and daughter on screen, and here the duo of Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer create fireworks together as a failed rock star and the daughter who resents her mother’s absence.
“Stories We Tell” (2013): In this hard-to-classify documentary, actor/filmmaker Sarah Polley picked up a camera to try to figure out the truth behind a family story involving her mother, Diane, who died when Polley was a child. A fascinating story unfolds; about secrets, family and how memories can miraculously bring someone back to life again.
“Volver” (2006): An intoxicating story splashed with bright colors and a miracle or two, this Pedro Almodovar tale stars Penelope Cruz as a woman whose mother (Carmen Maura) mysteriously returns to their small Spanish town — long after her death in a fire. Is she a ghost? Does it matter?
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