Cinephile № 827 “Son-Mother”

Recommendation: 2/5 Stars, SKIP

Plot: “A widow who works tirelessly at a failing factory in sanctions-gripped Iran receives a marriage proposal that could mean financial security but could also tear her family apart.” -IMDB

Review: For my 20th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I wanted to spend some time with a Middle Eastern film. “Son-Mother” is an Iranian based movie focused on a widow, trying to make ends meet in an Iran that finds itself on the verge of economic collapse due to international sanctions. If things weren’t bad enough, she finds herself caring for a new-born and a young son.

The plot for this movie seems simple enough for almost every audience to grasp despite the subtitles. What gets lost in translation is what happens next. As a suitor begins pursuing marriage with her, a cultural tradition that will find itself lost on a western audience appears. In order for the marriage to happen, the mother is forced to part ways with her older child by placing him in a school for special needs orphans. This movie doesn’t do a great job of explaining the reasoning behind the school, the tradition that led to the decision, or the angst of the decision. This is a real shame because up until this point, this film was quite relatable.

Not fully understanding what was going on, I spent the last third of the film trying to…