The Mother is a lyrical and compelling portrait of Liubov, a no-nonsense, single, working-class mother of nine in rural Russia. In Russian, Liubov means "love", and while she often curses out her children, her affection is clear. Liubov's life as a mother had a heart-breaking start-she was "sold" to a man who raped her-and now, as a farm labourer, she can barely keep food on the table. With her eldest son in jail and another with a learning disability, Liubov has to work even harder. But as the film movingly illustrates, her hardships are punctuated by moments of great joy, like her eldest daughter's marriage. Liubov is always on the move, whether running away from her violent husband or to her eldest son in jail, raising the question of whether she will ever be able to be still and truly happy. Not just a sensitive and intimate portrayal of an amazing character's plight, The Mother is also an innovation in storytelling.
-Shannon Abel