''Mother and Son'' () is a 1997 Russian film directed by
Aleksandr Sokurov
Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov, PAR (russian: link=no, Александр Николаевич Сокуров; born 14 June 1951) is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a feature film, ''Russian Ark'' (2002), filmed in a s ...
, depicting the relationship between an old, dying mother and her young son. It was Sokurov's first internationally acclaimed feature film, and is the first volume of a planned trilogy whose subject matter is the study of the drama in human relationships. It is followed by ''
Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to:
Literature
* ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse
*Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen
* ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...
'' (2003), and planned to be followed by ''Two Brothers and a Sister,'' the final installment, though this last has not been made; his ''
Alexandra
Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...
'' (2007) is sometimes considered part of this series, as another film on similar themes. It was entered into the
20th Moscow International Film Festival
The 20th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 19 to 29 July 1997. The Golden St. George was awarded to the American film '' Marvin's Room'' directed by Jerry Zaks.
Jury
* Oleg Menshikov (Russia – President of the Jury)
* Georgi Dju ...
where it won the Special Silver St. George.
Plot
The film opens on two human forms, which soon reveal themselves to be that of a young man and a frail old woman. They recline in a silence broken only by whispers and indistinguishable noises. The young man is the son (Alexei Ananishnov) who is taking care of his exhausted sick mother (Gudrun Geyer). Her illness is undefined and from time to time causes her great pain as she gasps for air. Her son combs her hair, feeds her, covers her with a coat, and takes her in his arms. She is totally dependent on him as he himself was once totally dependent on her. As the film progresses, the son carries his mother on a long journey from her sickbed to her deathbed. It is a circular motion which travels a long walk through a dreamlike landscape in the countryside, along winding dirt roads. At each of their brief stops on the journey is a moment of contemplation, caresses, and tender murmurs. These soft murmurs tell of the mother's love for her son when she was nurturing him and of the son's love for his mother as he opens for her the mysterious path to her death. They progress under the leaden and luminous sky of the Baltic, in totally isolated landscapes. From time to time, there is a far away train or a sail on the sea, emphasizing further their isolation from the rest of the world.
They return to the house. The son tenderly lowers his mother into her bed that now seems to resemble a coffin. Although he tries to reassure her to the contrary they both know that the end is coming. He leaves her and goes for a long solitary walk. When he returns he weeps for his mother who's died.
Themes
"Mother and Son" (1997) is a love story, not of romantic love as in "Romeo and Juliet" or "Tristan and Isolde", but rather regarding the profound emotional and spiritual ties that exist between a mother and her son.
The theme of death and of a mother and son recalls the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
Passion,
only here with the roles reversed – a dying mother, rather than a dying son – which has been called a "reverse
pietà
The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...
".
[HFA]
Cinematography
The cinematography of the film featured images distorted by filming through painted glass panes, mirrors, and special lenses, together with sounds of "whispering wind, crashing waves, and sea-gull cries," creating an elegiac mood.
The dreamy landscapes have been compared to the work of
Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscape ...
.
The painterly cinematography has been compared to the work of
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...
and
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist.
Biography
Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...
, and the distortions to
Stan Brakhage
James Stanley Brakhage ( ; January 14, 1933 – March 9, 2003) was an American filmmaker. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th-century experimental film.
Over the course of five decades, Brakhage created a large ...
.
Reception
Critical response
''Mother and Son'' has an approval rating of 86% on
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 14 reviews, and an average rating of 8.05/10.
References
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*
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*
Requiem: The Visionary Films Of Alexander Sokurov, Harvard Film Archives
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mother And Son (Film)
1997 drama films
1997 films
Films directed by Alexander Sokurov
1990s Russian-language films
German drama films
Russian drama films
1990s German films