Does blood matter, or is the time you spend with a child more important in forging the inexplicable bond between a mother and her offspring? Rodrigo García’s film, Mother and Child, explores this question.

Human relationships are inherently complex, but the relationship between a mother and her child is perhaps one of the most mysterious. Raw hatred, pure love, regret, fear, joy and uncertainty are all characteristics of this bond. But does this link, this connection, extend beyond the boundaries of blood?

The ever-contentious issue of adoption is the central theme of the film, Mother and Child, written and directed by Rodrigo García. The plot revolves around three women, who have all profoundly been affected by adoption. Karen (Annette Bening) is a lonely physical therapist, who is tortured by memories of the baby girl she was forced to give up for adoption 37 years ago as a teenager. Lucy (Kerry Washington) is unable to conceive the child she so desperately wants and tries to convince her reluctant husband that genetics don’t matter. Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) is an ambitious lawyer, who appears emotionally stinted, perhaps due to a lingering feeling of loss because she was given up for adoption as a baby.

The film is largely focused on highlighting adoption and parenthood from a woman’s perspective, but also explores the impact the men in the women’s lives have on how they deal with their struggles around parenthood. Karen has been taking care of her invalid mother for years – not giving her much of a chance to meet a man. However, a new male therapist at the nursing home where she works seems inexplicably drawn to her standoffish manners, and encourages her to try and find her daughter. Lucy’s partner puts pressure on her as his parents want to continue their blood lineage, causing her to question her “usefulness” as a woman, while a seemingly meaningless office romance turns Elizabeth’s world upside down when she discovers she’s pregnant.

García adeptly interweaves the three stories to create a narrative that’s both engaging and challenging. The female leads are well cast. Annette Bening is her masterful self. She cannot help but reflect the soul of every character she plays and you cannot help but empathise with Karen’s plight, despite her cold attitude and erratic behaviour. Moreover, Watts and Washington both prove that they’re fast on their way to achieving Bening-status.

Motherhood, pregnancy, adoption – these are all intensely personal issues, and the film treats them as such, probing at them, but with sensitivity. Mother and Child is tearjerker that’s certain to leave any mother sniffling.

Rating: 4 out 5

Writer & Director: Rodrigo García

Cast: Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, Samuel L Jackson

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