SW recommends films for Mother’s Day

Every mom is different, but we all love them equally. The bond between a mother and her children is one of the most powerful things in the world. So it makes sense that it forms the basis of so many popular movie storylines.

Over the years, thousands of great films have been made about mothers all around the world. They explore the ups and downs of motherhood and remind us, their children, to appreciate everything our moms do for us. So if you’re planning to spend the day with your mom, why not celebrate with a motherly movie or two?

Get the popcorn and sodas ready as S Weekly runs down some of our favourite mom movies for Mother’s Day.

Lady Bird (2017)

The relationship between mother and daughter can be very complex as Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated directorial debut brilliantly shows. With outstanding performances from Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird takes a familiar story and makes it feel fresh. It’s a bittersweet coming-of-age tale about a teenage daughter who calls herself Lady Bird. She struggles to get along with her headstrong, overprotective mother and dreams of leaving home as soon as she graduates from high school, even though she has no idea what she actually wants to do with her life. Funny and moving, Lady Bird was one of 2017’s most critically acclaimed films.

What’s for Dinner, Mom? (2016)

The Japanese have a knack for making films that reduce us to tears. What’s for Dinner, Mom? is no exception. Based on Japanese actress Tae Hitoto’s memoir, this is a touching family drama that explores how a Japanese mother’s skills in the kitchen help keep her and her two young daughters going after her husband dies. The film begins 20 years later when the two grown-up sisters go back to their childhood home and discover their mom’s old recipe books. From there, they flash back to their memories of growing up. What’s for Dinner, Mom? will have your stomach rumbling and your eyes watering from beginning to end.

Room (2015)

Lenny Abrahamson’s powerful film stars an Oscar-winning Brie Larson as Ma, a mother who does her best to give her 5-year-old son a normal life. But this is not an easy task when both of them have been held captive in a single room for years. Her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) was born in the room and has no knowledge of the outside world. Larson gives an incredible performance as a mother torn between ensuring her child’s safety and finding a way to escape.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

This film is a great study of modern family life. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening play a lesbian couple raising a family. But eventually, their teenage children want to find out about their biological father. So the kids seek out the sperm donor their moms used. When they finally find their father (Mark Ruffalo), they invite him into the family. What results is an emotional rollercoaster as everybody’s relationships become more and more complicated.

I, Tonya (2017)

Your childhood experiences definitely have an effect on who you are when you get older. Recommended by S Weekly’s esteemed editor, I, Tonya tells a different tale of the relationship between mother and daughter. Based on one of the most shocking scandals in sports history, this darkly comic drama looks at the troubled life of talented American figure skater Tonya Harding. Building up to the infamous attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan, the film takes us through Harding’s difficult childhood with her controlling, abusive mother. The lack of love and affection goes a long way to explaining how she grew up to be such a troubled adult.