Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


M/other (1999)

Director: Nobuhiro Suwa

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Cleverly titled drama about a divorcé who shows up at the house he shares with his younger lover with his 8-year-old son in tow. His ex has had an accident, he explains, can Shun stay with them for a month? Unimpressed, Aki reluctantly agrees, and we imagine we know where it's headed as woman and child gradually form a bond. Grating discordant strings on the soundtrack hint that we might be wrong. Suwa shoots most of his lengthy, improvised scenes from a one camera set-up, but for all the apparent simplicity of this observational technique, his aesthetic is not averse to expressionist lighting effects. The result is a studied, cool and convincing examination of modern relationships struggling to come to terms with traditional gender roles.

Author: TCh

Time Out Film Guide


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields




Most popular on this site


Top Stories

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?

The 10 worst date movies

The 10 worst date movies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas

10 unlikely badboy biopics

10 unlikely badboy biopics

Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing