My Mother (2015)

Margherita, a director in the middle of an existential crisis, has to deal with the inevitable and still unacceptable loss of her mother.

Director:

Nanni Moretti

Writers:

Nanni Moretti (story), Valia Santella (story)

Stars:

Margherita Buy, John Turturro, Giulia Lazzarini

12 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margherita Buy	...	Margherita
John Turturro	...	Barry Huggins
Giulia Lazzarini	...	Ada
Nanni Moretti	...	Giovanni
Beatrice Mancini	...	Livia
Stefano Abbati	...	Federico
Francesco Acquaroli
Anna Bellato	...	Attrice
Lorenzo Gioielli	...	Interprete
Enrico Ianniello	...	Vittorio
Toni Laudadio	...	Produttore (as Tony Laudadio)
Tatiana Lepore	...	Segretaria di edizione
Pietro Ragusa	...	Bruno
Monica Samassa	...	Medico
Vanessa Scalera	...	Infermiera

Storyline

These are hard days for Margherita, who is going through a very difficult period in her life. On a professional level first, the middle-aged film director, has started wondering whether the committed movies she has been making are really an actual reflection of the world she lives in ; on top of this, she is in conflict not only with her crew but also, and primarily, with Barry Huggins, a well-known American actor of Italian origin, who proves awfully bad and uncontrollable. On the personal level, things do not get any better - it could even be said they are worse. Margherita has just left her life partner and she has become unable to relate to her teenage daughter. As for her mother, she is now seriously ill and her doctor tries to prepare her brother and her for the worst. Which is unacceptable to the weakened woman who can find salvation only in denial of reality. Will she manage to face up to the facts and to come to terms with herself?

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Plot Keywords:

film director | death | factory | actor | mother daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This won Margherita Buy her 5th David di Donatello Best Actress award (the Italian equivalent of the Oscars).

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Connections

References Wings of Desire (1987)

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Soundtracks

Tabula Rasa
Composed by Arvo Pärt

User Reviews

A director under pressure personally and professionally

A film director (Margherita Buy), in the middle of trying to do a film, has to deal with the fact that her mother is dying.

The film is inspired by the death of Nani Moretti's own mother, and we can assume that the Buy character represents him, as a movie director dealing with a difficult production, a temperamental and looney actor (John Turturro), and a terminally-ill mother she keeps telling herself is going to recover.

Anyone who has been through this life-goes-on in the face of tragedy scenario will relate to the director trying to deal with her ex-husband, her daughter, her boyfriend, her mother, and the movie - all at the same time. It's a very human story. Unfortunately you can't pick when a crisis will occur, or expect them to come one at a time.

Wonderful acting, especially Buy as her character, Margherita, tries to keep it all together as her leading man, an American who knows Italian, can't remember his lines, the extras all look like movie stars when she asked for normal everyday people, all the while visiting her mother at the hospital and being in denial about her illness.

Very good film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Australia] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Italy France Germany

Language:

Italian English French

Release Date:

26 August 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mia madre

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,098, 28 August 2016

Gross USA:

$303,002

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,723,656

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sacher Film, Fandango, Le Pacte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1