Karen (Annette Bening), now 50, is still haunted by the thoughts of the daughter that she once gave away for adoption at the young age of 14. Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), Karen’s daughter, is an independent woman looking to keep advancing in her career, now 35, she still looking to set her roots, still scarred by the mother she never knew. Lucy (Kerry Washington) and her husband Joseph (David Ramsey) is a struggling couple who have been unable to procreate a child of their own so they are now going through an adoption process that is putting a strain in their relationship. All three women have one common thing: they’ve all have been profoundly hurt by adoption.
Mother and Child is one of those movies that just simply tell you a story without trying too hard to evoke sadness or disingenuous tear-jerking moments. The film is raw and powerful, it tells a story so real that brings out those sad feeling all out on their own. Director Rodrigo Garcia effortlessly directs a real story, showing the things that truly matter in life. Garcia never backs down from showing you the deep scars of each of its characters; he never strays away from the main subject and shows you the pain and suffering that all three women are going through. Garcia so bravely shows you the how each one of its characters evolves and how forgiving life can be sometimes. The movie doesn’t have to have some personal meaning to everyone, but who else would tell you how hard adoption can be on someone.
Mother and Child wouldn’t have succeeded without a great cast and well written script. Luckily, both were present. The cast was magnificent, whether Samuel L. Jackson, Naomi Watts, Annette Benning, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smits, etc. all play a key role in the story and they do it so well. Each actor delivers close to perfection making the story feels so much more engrossing. Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson, and Annette Benning are perhaps the best in the film. The cast was so real and raw. But the cast couldn’t have pulled it off without having an appropriate script and this time it was up to par. The plot didn’t rush through the story instead it opted to take the long route and properly develop the story of the each of the three women. It was a well-crafted script and masterfully brought to the big screen.
Mother and Child arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.35:1. The film has been digitally shot and it looks wonderful. Colors are natural and well reproduced throughout. Black levels are rich and spot on. Detailing is exceptional, except the film has a glossy look due to the way it was shot that it tends to make some details hard to see, but it’s not a big issue as the movie is greatly rendered. The image is clean and pristine. The movie looks gorgeous throughout, there is some banding detected, but all that is kept at bay. Mother and Child looks great on Blu-ray.
Mother and Child arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. This is a film that is dialogue driven so there isn’t much of action to make your system work. However, the track handles everything exceptionally. Dialogue is clean and clear and well handled by the fronts. The music flows through the fronts without a problem, delivering precise notes and clarity. The track is handled mainly by the front speakers, but on rare occasions the surrounds deliver some ambience and atmospheric effects. Mother and Child might not impress everyone, but its sound design was made to fit the movie and it does a fantastic job handling it.
Creating The Family Tree – The cast and crew discuss the troubles and lengths they had to go through in order to make the project become a reality. Also, there is a brief discussion about the characters and the main cast of the film.
Universally Connected – This featurette serves a continuation of “Creating the Family Tree” than a piece of its own. It features a look at the theme of the story and the cast.
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Previews – Movie trailers for You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, Tamara Drewe, Inside Job, Get Low, Micmacs, Please Give, and The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Mother and Child is a fantastic film, not in the sense of “wow” and/or “that movie rocks”, but more in the sense of its nature and how real it is. The film is very honest and touching at the same time a combination that is sometimes hard to come by. Director Rodrigo Garcia evokes the feelings of despair within the characters and ultimately shows their deeper emotions. The film does a great job at keeping its audience in their seat with a well written script and well developed story. The Blu-ray features a great looking video transfer and an equally satisfying audio transfer. The supplements, while only a few, they dig deeper into the characters and gives you a better idea of their place within the story. Mother and Chile comes as highly recommended.
