''night, Mother'' is a 1986 American drama film starring Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft. It was directed by Tom Moore and written by

Marsha Norman Marsha Norman (born September 21, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. She received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play '' 'night, Mother''. She wrote the book and lyrics for such Broadway musicals as ''The Se ...

, based on Norman's

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning play of the same name. The film was entered into the

37th Berlin International Film Festival The 37th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February to 3 March 1987. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Soviet Union film ''Tema'' directed by Gleb Panfilov. The retrospective was in honour of Armenian-American film and ...

. Tom Moore had also directed the play on Broadway.

Plot

Jessie is a middle-aged woman living with her widowed mother, Thelma. One night, Jessie calmly tells her mother that she plans to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

that very evening. Jessie makes this revelation all while nonchalantly organizing household items and preparing to do her mother's nails. The resulting intense conversation between Jessie and Thelma reveals Jessie's reasons for her decision and how thoroughly she has planned her own death, culminating in a disturbing yet unavoidable climax.

Cast

* Sissy Spacek as Jessie Cates * Anne Bancroft as Thelma Cates *Ed Berke as Dawson Cates *Carol Robbins as Loretta Cates *Jennifer Roosendahl as Melodie Cates *

Michael Kenworthy Michael Kenworthy (born August 18, 1975) is an American actor who has been acting since the age of 5 He is most well known as the Commercial Kid, having done over 135 commercials and building a huge fan base in Canada as "Righty" of the Shreddi ...

as Kenny Cates *Sari Walker as Agnes Fletcher * Claire Malis as Operator (voice)

Release

''night, Mother'' was released theatrically on September 12, 1986. The film was given its first-ever U.S. DVD release, by Universal Studios on August 3, 2010. The film received mixed reviews, and Bancroft was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Spacek was nominated for the Academy Award that year for '' Crimes of the Heart'', another film adaptation of a play, released the same year.New York Times review
accessed 11/23/2016

References

External links

* * * * 1986 films 1986 drama films American drama films 1980s English-language films American films based on plays Films about suicide Films directed by Tom Moore Universal Pictures films Films about conversations Films scored by David Shire Films about mother–daughter relationships 1980s American films {{1980s-drama-film-stub