MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

Director: Carl Bessai
Cast: Tantoo Cardinal, Babz Chula, Gabrielle Rose, Camille Sullivan
Run Time: 85 minutes
Country: Canada
Year: 2008
Language: English
Rating: PG (Coarse language)

Premiering at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival®, Mothers & Daughters is an acute exploration of the many different facets of the mother-daughter bond. Director Carl Bessai (Unnatural & Accidental, Normal) has created a film that is entirely fresh yet openly pays homage to iconic filmmakers and movements past and present.

Mining the rich terrain of the connection between mothers and their female children, Bessai’s brilliant ensemble cast breathes life into six unique and engaging characters. The high-strung pulp romance novelist Micki (Babz Chula, The French Guy, The Green Chain) eclipses her sullen daughter Rebecca (Camille Sullivan, Mount Pleasant, Normal), an actress who finds Mom overwhelming. Brenda (Gabrielle Rose, Normal), a dedicated housewife and mother, is shocked to learn that her husband has left her for a younger woman. Her daughter Kate (Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, I, Robot; Capote), meanwhile, is less sympathetic. Finally, when Celine (Tantoo Cardinal, Unnatural & Accidental, Luna: The Spirit of the Whale), a Metis woman who owns her own business, is hired by Cynthia (Tinsel Korey), a saddened young professional, troubling questions arise. With clarity and courage, the performers deliver inspired moments from across the entire spectrum of emotions.

It is a testament to Bessai and to his cast that Mothers & Daughters emerges as such a delightful work. Never overly sentimental, the actors pay tribute to the intricacies of these complex female relationships while ensuring that each scene serves the complex web of stories.

Website/Trailer: www.ravenwestfilms.com/film_mothersdaughters.html