A tense love triangle develops when May (Anne Reid), a woman in her sixties grieving the death of her husband, strikes up a sexual relationship with Darren (Daniel Craig), a married man in his thirties who is having an extramarital affair with her daughter Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw). Not only is May much older than Darren, but the complexities of their relationship are limitless. For one, the sex is not subtle and neither is British director Roger Michell's portrayal of it. Family chaos and psychological outpouring abound as the women in this movie undergo some tough soul searching, all of which finds an outlet in the resident boy toy, who works in the house as--you guessed it--a carpenter. This tangled tale drums up all kinds of mixed feelings about different relationships: husband to wife, mother to daughter, adulterous boyfriend to self-loathing girlfriend, and well, aging grandmother to young lothario carpenter. All smirking aside, THE MOTHER is a deeply emotional film with performances that are genuine and touching. It's a movie about real people with real problems showing the way they act when they are most vulnerable. Perhaps it is this tenderness that makes the film so challenging. For brave and patient viewers, this may be one of the most courageous films ever made about a widowed woman enjoying the last chapter of her life.

Theatrical Release: MAY 28, 2004 (LIMITED)

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Subtitles - English, French - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Trailers
Featurette
Audio Commentary: Roger Michell - Director, Kevin Loader - Producer

Anne Reid: 
Peter Vaughan: British Character Actor
Cathryn Bradshaw: Actor, THE MOTHER (2004)
Daniel Craig: British actor, CASINO ROYALE
Steven Mackintosh: Actor - London Kills Me

Roger Michell: Director/"Buddha Suburbs"

Kevin Loader: Producer, CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN (2001)
Stephen Evans: 
David M. Thompson: BRITISH PRODUCER/BBC

Hanif Kureishi: British Director/Screenwriter

"Both actors give fearless, potent performances..."
"In THE MOTHER, Roger Mitchell returns to the patient, incisive, gratifyingly unsentimental tone of his debut feature, PERSUASION. THE MOTHER is a revelation..."
"[A]n extraordinarily clear-sighted and psychologically balanced British drama."
"[Reid] is a discovery..."