Directed & Written By: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte
Starring: Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke, Dilone, Hopper Penn, Norm Lewis, Karen Aldridge, and Jack Reynor
Synopsis: Starring two-time Academy Award®-winner Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke and Jack Reynor, The Good Mother follows journalist Marissa Bennings (Swank) who, after the murder of her estranged son, forms an unlikely alliance with his pregnant girlfriend Paige (Cooke) to track down the killers.Together they confront a world of corruption and drugs in the seedy underbelly of a small city in upstate New York. As they get closer to the truth, they unearth an even darker secret.
The way writer/director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte explains why he wanted to make The Good Mother was one of the biggest reason why this movie makes for a very compelling to watch.
“The Good Mother is the second in what we hope will be a trilogy of films about our hometown, Albany, NY. It’s a story about trying to break paralysis and process grief amidst one of the worst drug epidemics in history. It’s about the personal and social cost of growth in many ways. Like in the old tradition of film-noir, we were interested in creating an imperfect “hero” stuck in a society whose moral and ethical center seems to be spinning off axis. As those films became reflections of a post war or transitioning post war society, we wanted this film to reflect 2016 in the US where a growing sense of dread and paranoia bubbled just under the crust of apathy.”
Joris-Peyrafitte is passionate about the film, especially since he wants to continue forward making a trilogy of films focusing on this concept. The filmmaker seems to be aspiring to make something on the level of Wind River, and he does reach that goal at various points. The acting holds this film together, Olivia Cooke and Hilary Swank both serving as the standouts of the film. If given more screen, Dilone and Karen Aldridge who play’s Laurie could potentially steal the film away from them, as they make a mighty impression during their precious few moments.
Hilary Swank plays Marissa, the mother of two sons, Toby (Jack Reynor) and Michael (Madison Harrison). Marissa is grieving after suffering the loss of her husband and her son soon after. Swank plays this character perfectly, bringing out the depths of her depression and the intensity of trying to figure out the identity of the killer. This also goes into the weak execution of the story; there is a specific twist near the end that is obvious, but it is needed to have an emotional beat between Marissa and one of her sons.
The predictable twist isn’t the only issue; the way the story is crafted felt like it could have separated the film. The Good Mother has some great qualities. It sometimes feels like a legitimate crime thriller while at other points feels too intense to be a mystery thriller. The story and tone would have been strengthened if only one of these aspects had been the focus.
With that said, Olivia Cooke who plays Paige, the girlfriend of Michael Bennings, does a fantastic job, especially while acting opposite Swank. Their chemistry helps this movie a lot. One of the two best moments in the movie is a scene with Paige looking at several photos while waiting for Marissa. The tension of this simple and brief instant captivates the viewer. It is a powerful connection between two women. One missing a son and the other a boyfriend. If this kind of tension and emotional impact continued throughout the movie, it would have been much better.The other most compelling scene comes when Laurie is in rehab, talking about her daughter and how it felt to be a mother one last time without knowing it is the last time. Karen Aldridge really bodies this performance to the point where it wouldn’t be unreasonable if she replaced Hilary Swank as the lead of the film.
Overall, The Good Mother isn’t a bad movie despite its shortcomings, but it feels unfinished. There is still a decent amount of enjoyable aspects to this film, but more work could have been added to make it great. This is the first film of Miles Joris-Peyrafitte that this reviewer has seen, and it will not be the last. It will be a pleasure watching his style and quality of writing and directing develop in future works.
The Good Mother will debut in theaters on September 1, 2023 courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.
The Good Mother delivers a multitude of great performances from Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke and Jack Reynor. Even though the concept of the story is great. With that said, the execution itself just felt a bit short from expectation
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GVN Rating 6
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