Brave, Gilmore Girls, and For Sama Top Our Twitter Poll Lists of What to Watch This Mother’s Day Weekend
Written by Kara Headley and Alexandra Hidalgo
Copy Edited and Posted by Sophie Schmidt
During this time of uncertainty, what we need is to be reminded of the ones we love and who love us back. So whether you’re quarantined with your family or an impossible plane ride away from them, we’ve prepared a list of films, TV shows, and documentaries for you to choose from as you think about how motherhood—whether as a child or as a mother yourself—has shaped you this Mother’s Day weekend.
We conducted a poll asking our Twitter followers what films and shows tell complex and compelling stories about mothers. This Mother’s Day weekend, we invite you to celebrate the mothers in your life even if your relationship can get a little complicated and messy sometimes. If you have them nearby, grab your mother, grandmother, and/or the maternal figure in your life, a snack and a blanket, and curl up on the couch to enjoy these films and shows. If you don’t have that special maternal figure near you at this time, use this spectacular viewing opportunity to think about the time you have spent together and the ways in which it made you who you are.
Films
Brave (2012), dir. Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews
By Kara Headley
Have you ever accidentally turned your mother into a bear? Remind your mother that you at least have not done that next time you have a tense or playful conversation about your past misbehaviors. Princess Merida’s (Kelly Macdonald) mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), wishes for Merida to marry and be a proper princess. Merida defies her wish, running into the forest, where she meets a witch who gives her a cake to give to her mother, telling Merida it will fix her problems. When the cake turns her mother into a bear, Merida and her mother must work together to reverse the curse, learning to better understand themselves and one another along the way. Perfect to watch with mom and hug as you cry together. Brave is available to stream on Disney+.
Merida (Kelly Macdonald) and her mother (Emma Thompson), Queen Elinor, spar over their very different ideas about what most becomes a princess.
Mamma Mia (2008), dir. Phyllida Lloyd
By Kara Headley
On a small island in Greece, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) lives in a hotel owned and operated by her single mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). As Sophie prepares for her wedding day, she stumbles across her mother’s old diary, and discovers that the mystery father she has never learned anything about could be one of three people. She decides to send them all invites to the wedding without telling Donna. When all three men arrive, Sophie tries to figure out who her father is while Donna is hard at work preparing for the wedding and trying to ignore the ghosts from her past. Throughout, we witness Sophie and Donna’s relationship evolve as Donna, with equal parts excitement and trepidation, prepares to let Sophie move into the next stage of her life. And did I mention it’s a musical? Mamma Mia is based around the music of ABBA, and it will have you dancing around your living room. My own mother used to put Mamma Mia in the DVD player and watch it over and over throughout the day, and soon the soundtrack of the film became that of my life. Mamma Mia is available to rent on Amazon Prime.
Billi (Awkwafina, right) and Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao, left) share a moment during a meal in The Farewell.
The Farewell (2019), dir. Lulu Wang
By Kara Headley
When Billi (Awkwafina) learns her grandmother, Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao) is dying of cancer, she wants nothing more than to say goodbye. However, her family has decided not to tell Nai Nai of her diagnosis. Instead, they plan a wedding as an excuse for the entire family to travel home to China and see Nai Nai one last time. Billi struggles with this lie, wishing to talk with Nai Nai about her diagnosis, to find a way to say goodbye without actually saying “goodbye.” Based on Lulu Wang’s personal relationship with her grandmother and her own attempt to hide the truth from the woman she loves so deeply, this tender yet hard hitting comedy explores the ways in which love between a grandmother and her granddaughter can blossom across continents and cultures. The Farewell is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Lady Bird (2017), dir. Greta Gerwig
By Kara Headley
Lady Bird is a brilliant coming-of-age story, following Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother, Marion McPherson (Laurie Metcalf). The film, which writer and director Greta Gerwig based on her own complicated love for her mother, explores their relationship throughout Lady Bird’s senior year of high school, while Marion tirelessly works to keep their financially struggling family afloat. Lady Bird and her mother are both strong-willed and opinionated, creating tensions in their daily lives that are comical and relatable to any girl who went shopping for a dress with her mother or wanted to get out of the car during an argument. Lady Bird is a study of how our relationships with the ones closest to us change us and how we need their love—thorny as it may at times be—in order to grow up. Lady Bird is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan, left) and her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf, right), discuss Lady Bird’s future.
Postcards From the Edge (1990), dir. Mike Nichols
By Alexandra Hidalgo
This brilliant comedy, based on Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical novel by the same title and on the screenplay she wrote for the film, explores Fisher’s experiences growing up as the daughter of Hollywood royalty Debbie Reynolds while struggling with addiction. In the film, Meryl Streep plays Suzanne and Shirley MacLaine plays her mother Doris. Both actors embrace the dialogue’s razor-sharp wit with the grace of two women whose love for each other is as deep as it is complex, blending pain and disappointment with a desperate need to please and support each other. The film provides a delightful blend between humor and poignancy to create an indelible portrayal of motherhood based on a real mother and daughter who lived in adjoining houses till the end of their lives when they passed one day away from each other. Postcards From the Edge is available to rent on Amazon Prime.
- According To Her (2016), dir. Estelle Artus
- Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), dir. Martin Scorsese
- All About My Mother (1999), dir. Pedro Almodóvar
- Bad Moms (2016), dir. Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
- A Bad Moms Christmas (2017), dir. Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
- The Blind Side (2009), dir. John Lee Hancock
- Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012), dir. Bill Condon
- Documenteur (1981), dir. Agnès Varda
- Erin Brockovich (2000), dir. Steven Soderbergh
- A Family Submerged (2018), dir. María Alché
- The Florida Project (2017), dir. Sean Baker
- Freaky Friday (2003), dir. Mark Waters
- Jojo Rabbit (2019), dir. Taika Waititi
- Frozen 2 (2019), dir. Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
- The Kids Are All Right (2010), dir. Lisa Cholodenko
- Lilo & Stitch (2002), dir. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
- Maid in Manhattan (2002), dir. Wayne Wang
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), dir. Ol Parker
- Mother! (2017), dir. Darren Aronofsky
- okaasan (mom) (2018), dir. Kana Hatakeyama
- One Sings the Other Doesn’t (1977), dir. Agnès Varda
- Pain and Glory (2019), dir. Pedro Almodóvar
- Room (2015), dir. Lenny Abrahamson
- Saving Face (2004), dir. Alice Wu
- Sophie’s Choice (1982), dir. Alan J. Pakula
- The Sound of Music (1965), dir. Robert Wise
- Steel Magnolias (1989), dir. Herbert Ross
- Tangled (2010), dir. Byron Howard and Nathan Greno
- Terms of Endearment (1983), dir. James L. Brooks
- Us (2019), dir. Jordan Peele
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012), dir. Kirk Jones
- 20th Century Women (2016), dir. Mike Millsx
TV Shows
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007), created by Amy Sherman-Palladino
By Alexandra Hidalgo
Three generations of Gilmore women—grandmother Emily (Kelly Bishop), daughter Lorelai (Lauren Graham), and granddaughter Rory (Alexis Bledel)—try to navigate romance, friendship, education, professional aspirations, and their love for each other in this feminist gem. Lorelai, impulsive and offering witticisms for every occasion, had Rory, eternally responsible and compassionate, at 16, and they have the close relationship of two women who grew up together and in many ways raised each other. While Emily, uptight and forever worried about maintaining her aristocratic demeanor, is close with Rory, she doesn’t know how to relate to Lorelai. The series celebrates and explores the complications of countless facets of motherhood with a light, humorous touch that often leaves you in tears. Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix.
Emily (Kelly Bishop, left), Lorelai (Lauren Graham, center), and Rory (Alexis Bledel, right) come together in their shared grief.
One Day at a Time (2017-Present), created by Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce
By Kara Headley
One Day at a Time follows three generations of the Alvarez family, all living together in Los Angeles. The show features Penelope (Justina Machado), a single-mother army veteran who is working as a nurse as she raises her two teenage children, Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz). Penelope’s mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno), is a Cuban-American immigrant who lives with the family and helps Penelope raise the children. The show deals with a wide array of compelling and socially relevant issues from Lydia’s struggle to become an American citizen, to Elena’s exploration of her sexuality, to Penelope dealing with PTSD from her time in Afghanistan. Despite the heavy topics, the series remains lighthearted and warm, focusing on how when a family works together through dark times, they come out stronger in the end. One Day at a Time seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix, and season 4 is available on PopTV.
Jane the Virgin (2014-2019), created by Jennie Snyder Urman
By Kara Headley
Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) is living at home with her mother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) and grandmother, Alba (Ivonne Coll), studying to be a teacher. She is engaged to detective Michael Cordero Jr. (Brett Dier). Jane, who was the result of a teen pregnancy, has decided to remain a virgin until marriage, a decision her fiancé respects. However, when Jane is at a routine medical visit, the doctor accidentally artificially inseminates her with the semen meant for another patient. Jane, now pregnant with another man’s child despite never having had sex, must navigate her new life with help from her mother and grandmother. Whimsical and full of dream sequences and acerbic narration, the show is a daring and drama-filled adventure that lingers for viewers long after the episodes end. Jane the Virgin is available to stream on Netflix.
Jane (Gina Rodriguez, center) sits with her mother Ziomara (Andrea Navedo, left) and grandmother Alba (Ivonne Coll, right), enjoying a morning mug of coffee.
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-Present), created by Bruce Miller
By Kara Headley
Based on the iconic book by the same name by Margaret Atwood and set in a dystopian future United States, now known as Gilead, The Handmaid’s Tale follows June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), a young mother ripped away from her family and forced to live with Fred (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). Fred is one of the leaders of Gilead, a society ruled by extreme religious beliefs. In the household, June is a Handmaid, known as Offred, and is expected to carry Fred’s child, against her will. June is determined to escape the Waterford’s house, find her daughter, and escape Gilead forever. Dark and exquisitely shot and acted, the show speaks to the current struggle to protect women’s rights to choose what to do with their own sexuality and pregnancies which are under the Trump Administration and under conservative state government across the US. The Handmaid’s Tale is available to stream on Hulu.
Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020), created by Dan and Eugene Levy
By Kara Headley
When the wealthy and eccentric Rose family loses all of their money, they must pick up and move to Schitt’s Creek, a town which the Rose family had bought as a joke years before. Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara), along with their two adult children, David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), find themselves living in the town’s motel, a far cry from the lifestyle they are used to. The Roses must learn to live in this new situation, discovering new passions and making new friends along the way. Johnny and Moira must find ways to reconnect with their children and mature in order to fit into this small town. The family is eccentric and outgoing in everything from their clothes to the way they talk, making for unusual interactions with those who grew up and remained in the small town for their entire lives. The show’s heart lies in comedy and will have you laughing along with the Rose family in every episode. Schitt’s Creek is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.
Penelope (Justina Machado, front left) is embraced by her son Alex (Marcel Ruiz, front right), daughter Elena (Isabella Gomez, back left), and mother Lydia (Rita Moreno, back right).
- Black-ish (2014-Present), created by Kenya Barris
- Bones (2005-2017), created by Hart Hanson
- Dance Moms (2011-Present), created by Jeff Collins
- The Fosters (2013-2018), created by Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige
- Good Girls (2018-Present), created by Jenna Bans
- Good Witch (2015-Present), created by Craig Pryce and Sue Tenney
- Grace and Frankie (2015-Present), created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris
- How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
- Jessica Jones (2015-2019), created by Melissa Rosenberg
- Kim’s Convenience (2016-Present), created by Ins Choi
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-Present), created by Amy Sherman-Palladino
- The Middle (2009-2018), created by Eileen Heisler
- The Mindy Project (2012-2017), created by Mindy Kaling
- Modern Family (2009-2020), created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan
- Mom (2013-Present), created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker
- Never Have I Ever (2020-Present), created by Mindy Kaling
- Stranger Things (2016-Present), created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer
- Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020), created by Janine Sherman Barroi, Elle Johnson, Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Octavia Spencer, Mark Holder, Christine Holder, Kasi Lemmons, and Jamal Henderson
- Teen Wolf (2011-2017), created by Jeff Davis
- Who’s the Boss (1984-1992), created by Martin Cohan
- #blackAF (2020-Present), created by Kenya Barris
Documentaries
For Sama (2019), dir. Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts
By Kara Headley
In For Sama, one of the most heart-wrenching and compassionate looks at what humans accomplish in the middle of war-torn countries, filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab explains her decision to raise her daughter, Sama, in war-torn Aleppo, Syria. A journalist, blogger, and filmmaker, Al-Kateab takes the audience on a five-year journey as she falls in love, gets married to a doctor, and has Sama, who lives in the hospital with her parents as they and a dedicated staff of doctors and nurses try to heal bombing victims with scarce resources while under constant fire themselves. She explains why raising Sama in Syria was important to her despite the violence that surrounds them. For Sama is a beautifully told stark story of a mother’s love for her daughter and her people and what that love can accomplish in the midst of the most devastating circumstances humans can experience. For Sama is available on Amazon Prime.
Mother and filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab walks down a deserted and desolate street in Syria carrying her daughter, Sama.
Grey Gardens (1976), dir. Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer
By Kara Headley
Grey Gardens takes the audience inside the lives of two wealthy, eccentric, and mesmerizing women, Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, the reclusive relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The mother-daughter pair live together in a dilapidated mansion in East Hampton with nothing but cats, raccoons, their memories of a grand past, and each other to keep company. As shot by the Maysle brothers with a hand-held, intimate camera that is at once a little in love with the women and fascinated by their dysfunctional relationship, Edie and Edith often argue, yelling over one another and doing things they know will make the other angry. They sing and dance for the camera, they share photographs of a glamourous past and reminisce over love affairs long gone with wistful passion. This classic is a love song to two women raised to be ornamental to men and then abandoned by them who with some madness and much regret fill each other’s days with love, strange as that love may be. Grey Gardens is available to stream on Hulu.
Stories We Tell (2012), dir. Sarah Polley
By Alexandra Hidalgo
Sarah Polley’s mesmerizing personal documentary tells the story of her search to find out whether or not she is the daughter of Michael Polley, the father who so lovingly raised her after her mother, Diane, died of cancer when Sarah was 11. Lyrically narrated by Michael and punctuated by intimate Super 8 home videos, the film follows Sarah as she interviews her siblings and her mom’s friends and colleagues. The story, unspooled gracefully and with humor and compassion, is a poignant tale of a family coming to terms with the talented, indelible woman they all loved but who left a complicated and secretive legacy behind that they must all come together to discern and forgive decades after her passing. Stories We Tell is available to stream on Tubi.
Carrie Fisher (right) and her mother Debbie Reynolds (left) discuss which outfit is best.
Sands of Silence (2016), dir. Chelo Alvarez-Stehle
By Alexandra Hidalgo
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle has dedicated her career as a journalist and filmmaker to telling stories of women’s abuse and trafficking in order to spark change and remind global audiences of how vital gender equality is to everyone around the world. In this feature film, Alvarez-Stehle intertwines her own activism and problematic teenage relationship with a priest with the stories of her sister’s traumatic childhood encounter with a stranger and Virginia Isaías’s battle to put an end to the trafficking of women and girls. Isaías and her nursing baby girl Lala were abducted and trafficked but she managed to escape and to save her daughter and has dedicated her life to making sure no one else endures what they did. As these different stories evolve over years of filming, the love that mothers feel for their daughters while attempting to protect them and themselves from brutal patriarchal forces emerges as an antidote to the pain this powerful and intimate documentary explores. Sands of Silence is available on DVD on the film’s website.
Bright Lights (2016), dir. Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens
By Alexandra Hidalgo
Perfect for a double feature with Postcards from the Edge (recommended above), Bright Lights tells one of Hollywood’s most emblematic love stories: that of the relationship between Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds. Using unguarded interviews, home footage, and moments of touching and often humorous interactions between mother and daughter, this whimsical documentary invites the audience into the lives of two of the most charming, beloved, and influential actors in the world. Taking audiences from Fisher’s childhood to her struggles with addiction and bipolar disorder to her own rewarding experiences as the mother of actor Billie Lourd, Bright Lights is an homage to a mother and daughter who dedicated their lives to each other and whose love dripped through every argument and disagreement, not to mention the moments of laughter and joy, which, happily, were innumerable. Bright Lights is available to stream on HBO Now.
- Becoming (2020), dir. Nadia Hallgren
- Italianamerican (1974), dir. Martin Scorsese
- My Darling Vivian (2020), dir. Matt Riddlehoover
- Teta (2017), dir. Alexandra Hidalgo
- Un’ora sola ti vorrei (2002), dir. Alina Marazzi
Have a film, TV show, or documentary that didn’t make the list? Will you be watching one of these this weekend? Be sure to tweet us @agnesfilms! You can learn more about Alexandra and Kara on their profiles.