Ma Mere Synopsis & Summary

Synopsis

An attractive widow finds her attentions turning to her teenage son in a troubling manner in this drama from France. Pierre (Louis Garrel) is a moody 17-year-old who is spending the summer with his parents at their summer home in the Canary Islands. While Pierre isn't especially close to his father (Philippe Duclos), he enjoys a warm relationship with his mother, Hélène (Isabelle Huppert) -- almost too warm, as her affection for him subtly strains the boundaries of typical familial behavior. When Pierre's father dies unexpectedly in an auto accident, his emotional dependence on Hélène grows, while her desire for her son does the same. Though Pierre finds himself attracted to several girls his own age summering on the island, he finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile his curiosity with the growing sexual tension between mother and son. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Movie Info

Theatrical Release Date:
05/13/2005
DVD Release Date:
10/18/2005
Rating:
NC-17
MPAA Reasons:
for strong and aberrant sexual content.
Run Time:
110 min.
Distributor(s):
Gemini Films
Production Co.:
Bernard Henri Levy, Paulo Branco
Director(s):
Genre(s):
Themes:
Innocence Lost, Dangerous Attraction, Mothers and Sons, Death of a Parent
Tone:
Austere, Cerebral, Chilly, Downbeat, Sexual
Keywords:
mother, perversion, sexual, sexual-deviation, son, widow/widower
Country of Origin:
France (05-19-2004),USA - Limited (05-13-2005)
Language:
French
Status:
DVD