A bittersweet story about children wanting their mother back. Vanessa and her siblings watch as their divorced mother once again embarks on a drunken spree that would ensure their Christmas will be ruined. Steps must be taken. While mother is in a stupor they manoeuvre her down to the basement and lock her in the sauna to dry out. So starts a conspiracy to hide her absence from their father and the cleaning lady. The children feed their mother and spend many hours in the basement with her, hence the title 'Mothertime'. The children also spend time with their beloved father and his new wife hoping to find some way of bringing the family back together again. It is not going to be easy. All these machinations bring out surprising qualities in the family members, not always to their credit.
Despite the drear plot this is a humorous, enchanting story, with quite a few little surprises in it. Kate Maberly is delightful as the maternal older sibling having to mother her own mother as well. Gina McKee (Notting Hill) is excellent as Caroline, the talented artistic mother who has lost her way.
High votes don't always signify quality, but in this case it is right on the button.