I read an article a few months ago about women who suffer from the violence of the lonely motheerhood and how this subject is a taboo for the fact that society demands them to be in a place where they cannot question that, neitheir can they express the burden of it or how demanding that place is when raising children alone, with partial or total absence of the other parental figure that, by neglecting the same responsabilities they also have, overcharge mothers for personal and sexist reasons. The same article says how mothers must have to suffer on silence because society is always misjudging those issues and is never open to discuss that, triggering psychological problems as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, among others, leading them to extreme measures as suicide or family abandonment.
The number of men that run away from their responsability as fathers, abandoning their children to be raised only by their mothers is huge, but society accepts that easily, never questioning how women are dealing with that by themselves. The same about men that impose their position of household providers, not giving any opportunity to mothers also have a professional life or simply enjoy leisure time.
That's what I could feel the movie is about from the different and similar stories of Leda (Olivia Colman) and Nina (Dakota Johnson), both women who became mothers at very young age. The difference is that Leda tried to raise her children almost by herself while struggling to achieve her academic and professional objectives, and Nina is about to have a nervous breakdown at any moment when she feels that entire responsability of her child is on her own even when surrounded by her partner and relatives.
The situation is very sensitive and Maggie Gyllenhall develops those matters honestly as a writer-director. She never hides the mixed feelings of being a lonely mother, making clear that although the burden is felt by them, their love still unconditional. However the exaustion leads them to a burn out syndrome situation or whatever.
Maybe there's more within the story than I could get, but being a single man that doesn't put me in any of these situations makes it impossible to imagine how difficult that can be for mothers around.
I could also feel some psychological violence that both charaters suffer. How Leda is emotionally blackmailed by her parter whenever he feels that his personal wills must be deferred in favor of his equal responsability as a father, making her feel guilty all the times he doesn't get away from that; or how Nina is suffocated by her controlling husband and relatives. Situations that together with lone mothering are depriving both of living their lives or crave for a different future together with their children in a healthy environment.
But even director developing those issues pretty well, the same cannot be said about subplots that emerge throughout the story line. First, the flashbacks as they are put slows the pace of the story to a point that seems that we are watching two different movies. Leda is hosted at a greek beach where she is attempting to enjoy her vacation, but takes a long walk to understand the reasons why she's emotionally triggered by Nina's arrival with her family. Kind of confusing in fact, and audience is sometimes misguided because some events happen in a way to build up the thrilling aspects of the story, but never achieves its intention.
Also confusing is Nina's family behavior over Leda. The menacing atmosphere is created without any coherent reason or a satisfying conclusion, and suddenly the movie reaches its end in a discussion that doesn't lead any of the characters to a fair comprehension of their attitudes, which could be very interesting based on the problems and personal traumas they are facing.
The very ending was intense and meaninful to Leda's emotional journey and over her doubts about the unconditional love that bond her to her daughters, but again could have fit better if screenplay had developed some of previous conflicts better.
Olivia Colman is awesome as always, but her incredible talent seems sometimes overshadowed by a directorial debut that is distant and not commited to clarify some of the confusing present events, nor making audience feel close enough to be trully empathized by her character's troubled past.
The number of men that run away from their responsability as fathers, abandoning their children to be raised only by their mothers is huge, but society accepts that easily, never questioning how women are dealing with that by themselves. The same about men that impose their position of household providers, not giving any opportunity to mothers also have a professional life or simply enjoy leisure time.
That's what I could feel the movie is about from the different and similar stories of Leda (Olivia Colman) and Nina (Dakota Johnson), both women who became mothers at very young age. The difference is that Leda tried to raise her children almost by herself while struggling to achieve her academic and professional objectives, and Nina is about to have a nervous breakdown at any moment when she feels that entire responsability of her child is on her own even when surrounded by her partner and relatives.
The situation is very sensitive and Maggie Gyllenhall develops those matters honestly as a writer-director. She never hides the mixed feelings of being a lonely mother, making clear that although the burden is felt by them, their love still unconditional. However the exaustion leads them to a burn out syndrome situation or whatever.
Maybe there's more within the story than I could get, but being a single man that doesn't put me in any of these situations makes it impossible to imagine how difficult that can be for mothers around.
I could also feel some psychological violence that both charaters suffer. How Leda is emotionally blackmailed by her parter whenever he feels that his personal wills must be deferred in favor of his equal responsability as a father, making her feel guilty all the times he doesn't get away from that; or how Nina is suffocated by her controlling husband and relatives. Situations that together with lone mothering are depriving both of living their lives or crave for a different future together with their children in a healthy environment.
But even director developing those issues pretty well, the same cannot be said about subplots that emerge throughout the story line. First, the flashbacks as they are put slows the pace of the story to a point that seems that we are watching two different movies. Leda is hosted at a greek beach where she is attempting to enjoy her vacation, but takes a long walk to understand the reasons why she's emotionally triggered by Nina's arrival with her family. Kind of confusing in fact, and audience is sometimes misguided because some events happen in a way to build up the thrilling aspects of the story, but never achieves its intention.
Also confusing is Nina's family behavior over Leda. The menacing atmosphere is created without any coherent reason or a satisfying conclusion, and suddenly the movie reaches its end in a discussion that doesn't lead any of the characters to a fair comprehension of their attitudes, which could be very interesting based on the problems and personal traumas they are facing.
The very ending was intense and meaninful to Leda's emotional journey and over her doubts about the unconditional love that bond her to her daughters, but again could have fit better if screenplay had developed some of previous conflicts better.
Olivia Colman is awesome as always, but her incredible talent seems sometimes overshadowed by a directorial debut that is distant and not commited to clarify some of the confusing present events, nor making audience feel close enough to be trully empathized by her character's troubled past.