That the mother-son film remains, for some reason, the least covered quarter when it comes to on-screen parent-child relationships may say something about the industry’s patriarchal bias — though the best examples say a lot about how men are raised and made. A modestly framed domestic comedy with surprising reserves of wisdom and sadness, Darren Thornton’s utterly disarming sophomore film “Four Mothers” earns a place in the mother-son pantheon after only a few minutes, as suave writer Edward (James McArdle) helps her choose… His disabled mother, Alma (Fionnula Flanagan), dresses up and wears the appropriate outfit for the day, dryly reinforcing the routine to distract from the pain of her dependency. A simple scene of reversed caring roles, yet rare in its everyday tenderness, sets the tone for a film full of similarly beautiful, unforced observations.
The world premiere of “Four Mothers” at the London Film Festival, where it screened in main competition, marks a welcome return for Irish writer-director Thornton, whose 2016 debut film “A Date for Mad Mary” did not achieve the success it deserved. To win hearts in the festival circuit. Like its predecessor, “Four Mothers” blends garrulous humor with a more tormented character study, as well as a perceptive understanding of gay identity that should stand it in good stead with LGBTQ-focused programmers and distributors. For McArdle – a Scot best known for his work on stage and television, who adopts a convincing Irish persona – his big-screen debut announces him as a charming, thinking person in the rough mold of Andrew Scott.
Working once again with his brother Colin as co-writer, Thornton took as his starting point 2008’s Mid-August Lunch, a witty, crowd-pleasing Italian film from actor-director Gianni Di Gregorio, and moved it from the scorching hotspot of the film. Summer in Rome rises to eternally overcast weather on the outskirts of Ireland. Thorntons appears to be entirely adapted from the premise of the original film rather than a completely remake, and seems entirely tailored to fit the specific social, political, and religious policies of its new environment, highlighted by the prominent sexuality of its male protagonist.
Edward is single and in his mid-30s, writing young adult romance novels, though it’s been a very long time since he’s played the dating game: these days, his life revolves almost entirely around 81-year-old Alma, a widow and confined to a wheelchair since… He suffered a debilitating stroke. As her full-time caregiver, he is patiently loving and loyal, though he can’t help feeling a little resentful regarding the unequal division of responsibilities between himself and his absent, married, absent brother. He has allies, at least, in friends Colm (Geroid Farrelly), Billy (Gordon Hickey) and his recently divorced therapist Dermot (Rory O’Neill) – all gay men stuck in stifling relationships with themselves. Mothers, desperate for some kind of release.
A man whose people-pleasing drive comes at the expense of his own ambitions and desires, Edward rehearses self-care mantras in therapy but can’t put them into practice — and spirals into panic when his publishers request his presence. A US book tour, after one of his novels became a TikTok-led sensation across the pond. He can barely extricate himself from his obligations to Alma, but he feels even more overwhelmed when Colm, Billy and Dermot head off to Spain on an impromptu seaside pride trip, leaving their mothers – Salty Jane (Dearbhella Molloy) and Prim Maud (Stella McCusker) – as they will… . The bohemian Rosie (Paddy Glynn) is in his care.
It’s one of the few sitcom-like tricks in Thorntons’ script that they manage to sell through the human detail and honesty of the writing. Alma, who speaks in a thick, direct voice and communicates entirely through a digital voice app, is forced to be as dismayed as Edward by their surprise new guests, and the personality clashes between the four women could be reminiscent of a hard-hitting episode of The Golden Girls. Yet collectively, their differing views on marriage, child-rearing, and their children’s queerness amount to a thoughtful snapshot of a country in generational transition, only partially and selectively liberated from the rigors of conservative Catholicism. Meanwhile, Edward’s struggle to stand up for himself — which extends to the desperate flame of his ex-lover Rafe (Gaetan Garcia), who still visits her daily as Alma’s physical therapist — will resonate with many gay men of a certain age and upbringing who feel they must It takes on a recessive role in heterogeneous society.
“Four Mothers” resists saying much of this out loud, except for Edward’s stiff-necked attempts to explain the subtext of his novel to his American interlocutors. Unlike his protagonist, Thornton is happy to let the subtle frictions and emotions shared between his characters speak to viewers as they will. McArdle beautifully expresses the weariness and anxiety of self-punishing a man whose love is no less sincere because it is a little stretched. His fast-and-furious relationship with the wonderful Flanagan adds some necessary bite and flair to this very warm and wonderful story. “Live your life,” Alma says to Edward, almost inevitably, toward the end of the film, and that’s a simple moral to take from the proceedings — though the other thing, perhaps, is that you’re actually living it, more than you know.