A grown man seeks to escape the influence of his overbearing mother. When he finds himself the cause of a fatal car accident, she is quick to make herself indispensable. For her, it is a chance to prove her devotion to him. He struggles to accept her assistance.
It is a strong premise, and the realationships are easily recognisable, but I did not enjoy the treatment this film gives it.
At the heart of the story is the mother/son relationship. It is told, though, exclusively from the mother's side, so the viewer never comes to understand enough about the son to appreciate why their relationship is so strained. Presenting only half the story makes this high stakes drama rather boring. I simply did not understand the conflict.
Another feature I struggled with was the film's cinematography: the majority is shot in mid-close-up with a shaky handheld camera. Why? It's stupid. It never looks good. There are also close ups and extreme close ups, but they have no effect. The son is such a boring character that no amount of close ups could elicit further interest in him.
The mother is a complex, interesting character, and played with panache by Luminita Gheorghiu - but the story requires more than just her and more than just her version of events. It lets itself down in focusing solely on the mother, as she cannot be understood without understanding the people around her.
See this film if you do not mind ugly camerawork and are happy to work to fill in the gaps this film leaves.
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