Mothering Sunday (2022)
82%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Mothering Sunday works at a frustratingly chilly remove, but involving performances and solid overall craft mean it’s rarely less than engaging.
Mothering Sunday is a film that will make you feel all the feels. It’s a heart-wrenching drama that will leave you pondering the fluidity of time and the lingering impact of love and tragedy. The nonlinear construction may be a bit of a challenge, but it’s worth it for the thematic weight it adds. Plus, the close-ups, drifting cameras, and follow focus make for some stunning visuals. And let’s not forget about Odessa Young’s impressive performance, especially in that one scene where she vents without making any noise. Overall, it’s a Malickian-esque film that’s cheesy at moments, but still packs a powerful emotional punch.
Production Company(ies)
Apple Original Films, Cartoon Saloon Mélusine Productions,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and some language.
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 2022 Limited
Genre(s)
Romance/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Olivia Colman, Sope Dirisu, Patsy Ferran, directed by Eva Husson, written by Alice Birch, romance, drama, $274.3K box office, R MPAA rating, reviewed by David Stratton, Sandra Hall, Anne T Donahue, Kathleen Sachs, Steve Davis, Ann Hornaday, Sarah Ward, Elsa Fernández-Santos, Matthew Toomey, Jim Schembri, Peter Gray, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Sony Pictures Classics, foundling, house maid, secret lover, Mother’s Day, childhood friend, engagement, tragedy, love affair, class differences, heritage film, production design, cinematography, costuming
Worldwide gross: $1,221,283
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,221,283
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,550
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 133,182
US/Canada gross: $274,330
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $274,330
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,481
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,322
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $9,322
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,717
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Josh O’Connor – Paul Sheringham
Colin Firth – Mr. Niven
Olivia Colman – Mrs. Niven
Sope Dirisu – Donald
Patsy Ferran – Milly
Director(s)
Eva Husson
Writer(s)
Alice Birch
Producer(s)
Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley
Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (132) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (29)
The film as a whole succeeds superbly both in its evocation of a sensual, erotic love affair and in its treatment of the bereaved families who, despite their elevated place in society, can never replace all that they’ve lost.
June 11, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
O’Connor is an actor who always seems to be regarding life with a raised eyebrow and the rapport between him and Young turns them into loving co-conspirators meditating on the fluidity of time.
June 4, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Mothering Sunday, a heart-wrenching drama directed by Eva Husson and based on the novel by Graham Swift, shows that people are more than what they do. They are also the sum of their traumas.
April 13, 2022
Anne T. Donahue
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
There’s a Malickian quality to the film that’s cheesy at moments, and the disjointed chronology is more aggravating than affecting.
April 7, 2022
Kathleen Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
While the movie’s nonlinear construction is its selling point, at least for those moviegoers who prefer a bit of a challenge, an underlying vibe of melancholy gives Mothering Sunday thematic weight.
April 7, 2022
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
It proves — yet again — that the best books are probably better left alone.
March 31, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
A yearning, sultry and textured splash of celluloid.
June 24, 2022
Sarah Ward
Concrete Playground
Narrated by the insightful young maid, the film works as a heritage film… but fizzles when it does away with the romance, the class differences, and the existential suffocation of two families in a lush English paradise. [Full review in Spanish]
June 15, 2022
Elsa Fernández-Santos
El Pais (Spain)
Mothering Sunday is an above average drama that speaks to the lingering impact of love and tragedy.
June 8, 2022 | Rating: B+
Matthew Toomey
ABC Radio Brisbane
The film looks great, with an emphasis on close-ups, drifting cameras and follow focus…Still, this is Odessa Young’s film, and easily her most impressive performance so far. In one key moment she vents without making any noise. A scene for the showreel.
June 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Jim Schembri
jimschembri.com
There’s a certain artificiality to how Mothering Sunday presents itself, never quite moving beyond a dramatic perspective that earns the attention the story should deserve.
June 3, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/5
Peter Gray
The AU Review
Underneath all its impressive production design, evocative cinematography and simply gorgeous costuming, this packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch.
June 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz…
Plot
On Mother’s Day in 1924, housemaid Jane Fairchild spends time with her secret lover, Paul, despite his engagement to another woman. But unforeseen events will change the course of Jane’s life forever in this heart-wrenching drama based on the novel by Graham Swift.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Mothering Sunday on Fresh Kernels.
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