Perfect Mothers

This looked like an interesting story with a good cast and it didn't let me down.

Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are not your average mid 40's moms, both being stunning looking with great figures. It's not surprising that guys of any age would be interested in them. Maybe the film would have been slightly more challenging if the moms in question were less blessed in the looks department. Whilst both Watts and Wright are excellent, the two young male leads are pretty wooden.

Filmed over the period of a few years it charts how the relationships fare. There are plenty of uncomfortable moments but these are handled well. The film does drag a little in the middle and it almost seems to be petering out but thankfully a few unexpected twists help maintain interest towards a satisfying conclusion.

This is a very good and engrossing drama and is well worth watching.

In rural New South Wales, childhood friends and now mothers Roz (Robin Wright) and Lil (Naomi Watts) live a secluded existence. Their life seems idyllic: Roz runs an art-gallery, while Lil apparently does not work but manages quite well to pursue a good life as a widow. As the film develops, however, so both women fall for the other woman's sons: Roz falls in love with Lil's son Tom (James Frechville), and Lil falls in love with Roz's son Ian (Xavier Samuel). Both women try to end their respective affairs - in the belief that they are somehow wrong - but find themselves incapable of doing so, leading to heartache and loss. There are several reasons for watching TWO MOTHERS: the first being the stunning photography of a rural seaside landscape (by Christophe Beaucarne), full of sandy beaches and azure-blue seas. It's hardly surprising that none of the four protagonists really want to leave the place, even though Tom moves briefly to urban Sydney to pursue a career as a theater director. TWO MOTHERS also boasts four excellent performances: Watts and Wright are quite outstanding as the two mothers, their faces beginning to show the signs of middle age, yet retaining much of their youthful vigor. Director Anne Fontaine's camera scrutinizes their features as they ponder the morality of what they are doing, and desperately decide what to do for the best, while remaining true to their instincts. At the end of the film, when they consider what they have done, they do not say much, but the sequence comes across as incredibly poignant: Wright in the foreground, and Watts in the background trying to explain why she did what she did. The third main reason for watching the film is the sparse script - by Fontaine and Christopher Hampton after a work by Doris Lessing. The film makes no judgment on the characters' behavior'; rather it encourages us to reflect on how human emotions work, often in defiance of moral concerns. Perhaps the film is a touch too long - the ending tends to drag a little - but the final image of the four protagonists sitting sunbathing on a wooden raft, the camera placed directly above them, is a memorable one.

I wanted to see what would happen even afterwords,

I wanted it to continue. I was stunned to my seat with lot of thoughts and emotions. Tanned surfing teenage boys with model-beautiful mothers in bikinis, The beautiful filming that is so well themed and constructed, this relaxed and ecstatic feel that transcends from the screen

making the audience feel the exact erotic atmosphere in which the characters dwell and that pull of desire that comes across in the silence and in the sound of the ocean; and Robin Wright's extremely deep character building and original portrayal of female strength, pull the film together to a true work of art. The location, beach houses, cinematography are beautiful and makes you want to move to Australia. Just for that the movie is worth watching.

Well done. Well acted. But it is all events without exploration of those events. There is not enough dialog to explore how characters are reacting to their situation. At one point the boys fight, one trying to drown the other. The cause of the fight is never explained or explored. People get hurt. Relationships are damaged. But the film doesn't explore how the main four characters feel about the damage they've caused. The male actors seem to cast for their bodies not their acting abilities. Ultimately disappointed with characters that are depicted as apathetic, remorseless and selfish.

This lovely movie was based on Doris Lessing's short story "The Grandmothers". I just saw the premiere at Sundance and absolutely loved it. Supposedly inspired by a true story, it's about two mothers who really like their son's best friend (their best friend's son) And that tag line is what you'll hear all about. Oh, the horror. I imagine middle age male reviewers will not particularly like this movie, though gay men will most likely love it. But it's a film about women--their friendships, husbands, relationships, sons and lovers. It's directed by Anne Fontaine, a French woman (which explains the exorbitant number of scenes with smoking cigarettes, and an insanely un-American story concept that young men might be attracted to older women.)

It's beautifully crafted (gorgeous cinematography) and has intelligent editing (watch for the skillful matched cuts that "age" the characters). The performances are all around great. Robin Wright is amazing--it's an Oscar caliber performance, however, the film probably won't get a large enough release to be on the radar for awards (sort of like poor John Hawkes not getting nominated for "The Sessions", what was the Academy thinking?) Of course, setting the movie in Australia means the other main character is the location. Tanned surfing teenage boys with model-beautiful mothers in bikinis, cowabunga mate (and significantly less handsome husbands and admirers, thankfully not shown in Speedos.)

There was laughter in the screening in places unexpected by the director, but this was probably just anxious laughter by viewers unaccustomed to thinking about middle aged women having sexual and emotional interest in younger men. Actually, I felt the laughter lightened up the viewing experience, and made the characters more human (okay, so I laughed and cried in this movie, but I never laughed at it.) At almost every story point where an expected turn would happen (if following Hollywood development script notes) the writer took what I call the "elegant decision" and pleasantly surprised me.

This is all around superb filmic story telling. Brilliant performances, intelligent and gentle direction, spectacular scenery, highly professional technical craftsmanship, and (for most of us, I expect) new emotional territory. It's a great film. I truly hope you get to see it.