Mothertime (1997)

A drunken woman's children lock her in the sauna in an attempt to cure her of her alcoholism.

Director:

Matthew Jacobs

Writers:

Matthew Jacobs, Gillian White (novel)

Stars:

Kate Maberly, Sheila Allen, Anthony Andrews

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kate Maberly	...	Vanessa
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sheila Allen	...	Eileen
Anthony Andrews	...	Robin
Felix Bell	...	Lot
Rosalind Bennett	...	Ruby
Faith Brook	...	Isobel
Megan De Wolf	...	Sacha
Rosy De Wolf	...	Amber
Kevin Dyer	...	Park Supervisor
Stephanie Fayerman	...	Mrs. Guerney
Georgie Glen	...	Sister Louise
Germaine Greer	...	Herself
Sara-Marie Maltha	...	Ilse
Gina McKee	...	Caroline
Ghizela Modood	...	Radio Presenter

Storyline

Sickened by their mother's alcoholism, siblings Vanessa, Dominic, Amber and Sacha decide to lock her in the sauna to cure her over Christmas. Meanwhile, Vanessa has to keep the plot a secret from her father, and deal with tension between her mother, father and his girlfriend.

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Plot Keywords:

alcoholism | christmas | sobriety | physical abuse | family crisis | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 December 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Äiti

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Not a masterpiece, but worth watching

This film is worth a look if only for the pleasure of watching Gina McKee's performance. She manages to make her character frightening, funny, pathetic, beautiful and heartbreakingly human all at once. Her character, Caroline, is interesting and more complex than first impressions might lead us to believe. She appears to be a monster mother, roaring drunk and slapping the kids around on Christmas Eve. The children just want a nice, quiet holiday and ,when she finally passes out, decide to lock their alcoholic mum in the sauna until she recovers. McKee never overplays the role, only delving ever so slightly into slapstick. (And succeeding.) Through the course of the film, McKee creates several small moments that are far more touching than they have a right to be.

The general storyline isn't bad - although there are lots of highly improbable moments that make you want to roll your eyes and groan. This film is worth watching for what's at the heart of it; a woman who's been beaten down and has lost her own identity, and children who desperately want their mother back.

If you're a fan of Mckee's, or like to root for the underdog, I really recommend it.